Coach Education

Limerick Sports Partnership are delighted to offer the following Sport Ireland Coach Education Courses for anyone interested in increasing their knowledge & understanding of, and improving their coaching in the Sport & Physical Activity Sector.

Sport Ireland- Physical Literacy Module

Sport Ireland- Coaching Children Programme

All too often in the past, programmes offered to children in sport are scaled down versions of adult activity. Coaching was conducted in the main without sufficient regard to the principles of child development.

Children’s needs in sport are different to the needs of other populations; therefore the coaches of children need to be equipped with specific knowledge, skills and competencies to fulfill the needs of children.

Children want different things from their sport participation and require different approaches given their stage of development both physically and mentally. And by the way, very few children will ever be elite athletes, but it we get it right at this early stage, a higher proportion of them will be equipped with both movement skills and love of activity, to remain active into their adult years and lead a healthy lifestyle.

The stakes are high!

Sport Ireland- Physical Literacy Module

Physical literacy is defined as "the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life"

Sport Ireland Coaching has developed a course to give participants the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of physical literacy

This module is an interactive 2 hour workshop which will enable participants to:

Outline the origins, definition, elements, relationship between the elements and importance of physical literacy
Explain whether individuals can be described as ‘physically literate’ and whether physical literacy can be assessed

Physical Literacy factsheet

Sport Ireland Coaching Children Series

Sport Ireland Coaching have developed their Coaching Children Programme to provide candidates with a basic understanding of children’s sport and physical activity and best ways to optimise children’s enjoyment, participation and positive outcomes. The programme consists of 4 workshops and is designed to be interactive and practical. Providing coaches the opportunity to network with other coaches of children. Sport Ireland Coaching sees these workshops as the first stage of development and hope we can build on these workshops to develop a comprehensive education system for all those involved in children’s sport.

Workshop 1

Coaching Children Successfully in Sport – An Introduction for Coaches

Key Learning Outcomes

On attendance to the workshop, learners will be able to:

Gain a sound understanding of the first three phases of the LISPA framework (Active Start, FUNdamentals & Learning to Play & Practice)
Identify the key reasons why children take part in sport and why they drop out
Design simple approaches to promote participation and retention and decrease drop-out
Identify and discuss the key benefits of a holistic, multi-skills-based approach to coaching sport for children.
Develop a ‘Child-Proof Sport Checklist’ and personal action plan

Workshop 2

Child-Centred Coaching – Understanding Child Development & Learning and its Impact on How We Coach

Key Learning Outcomes

On attendance to the workshop, learners will be able to:

Review concepts and learning from workshop 1 and the impact attendance had on their coaching practice.
Explore your coaching philosophy and values
Identify key milestones in human development from 0 to 18 using the SPEC model (Social; Physical; Emotional; Cognitive) and how these impact on coaching practice
Explain basic learning theories and apply them to the design of effective coaching sessions
Identify key coaching skills necessary to maximise children’s outcomes during sessions and self-evaluate against them

Workshop 3

Developing Physical Literacy through Sport 1 – Coaching Children to Move

Key Learning Outcomes

On attendance to the workshop, learners will be able to:

Review concepts and learning from workshop 1& 2 and the impact attendance had on their coaching practice.
Identify the basic building blocks of safe and efficient movement (FUNdamentals of Movement) and deliver activities to develop them
Show how the FoM combine to produce basic FUNdamental Movement Skills (FMS)
Observe children moving and pinpoint basic movement flaws and take corrective action

Workshop 4

Developing Physical Literacy through Sport 2 – Coaching Children to Think

Key Learning Outcomes

On attendance to the workshop, learners will be able to:

Review concepts and learning from workshop 1, 2 and 3 and the impact attendance had on their coaching practice.
Explain basic theories and methodologies of skill acquisition and apply them to their coaching sessions
Identify basic FUNdamental Game Skills (FGS) and apply a games-based approach to their coaching sessions
Design basic games to support the development of FGS
Deliver inclusive and differentiated sessions that cater for a wide range of abilities

Contact Mairead at 061-333600 or mfitzgerald@limericksports.ie or

Book for your club, school, community, coaches, volunteers

See below for some game ideas that you can use when you are coaching children.

These videos were produced in partnership with Clare Sports Partnership & Sport Ireland Coaching.

Just click on the image to bring you to the video recording.