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Considerations and Suggestions for Design of a Learning and Development Program for Sport Coaches

Coaches 
play a highly influential role across the whole spectrum of sport. Their 
proficiency is crucial to the progression, welfare and even the personal development 
of the athletes under their charge. Maximising the development of that 
proficiency is therefore a crucial concern of numerous sporting and community 
organisations. Effort must be directed to continuous improvement of learning 
and development programs for coaches, with consideration given to the differing 
requirements of coaches operating in different contexts. Historically, most 
coach education initiatives have entailed formal instruction in “classroom” situations, 
but feedback from participants suggests that this is sub-optimal. Better 
outcomes might be achieved through methods designed to promote informal 
learning within real-world coaching environments. There is evidence that experiential 
learning resulting from repeated cycles of action and reflection can contribute 
substantially to the development of expertise. Observation and imitation of significant 
others is also a powerful learning mechanism. Here, we review and summarise 
literature relating to these matters, while also addressing topics such as the 
nature of coaching, the characteristics of expert coaches, and the ways in 
which coaches currently learn. We touch upon the concepts of situated learning, 
cognitive apprenticeship, and mentoring, and identify known barriers and 
facilitators to adult learning. We then provide a suggested framework for the 
practical design, implementation, evaluation, and continual refinement of a 
program emphasising informal but guided nurturing of coach learning and 
development. The suggested approach is consistent with classical learning 
theories and incorporates the establishment of critical friendships and communities 
of practice.