November 29, 2017
WYC 135 – Coaching Education – Dr. Clayton Kuklick talks Random practice design & the power of analogies
Dr. Clayton Kuklick is a University of Denver Clinical Assistant Professor of Master of Arts in Sports Coaching and a PhD in Athletic Coaching Education. Clayton played college and pro baseball and has coached at all levels from youth through college.
Twitter: @DrKuk14; @DU_sport_coach
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Coaching your own kids
- Make sure to communicate the different roles you will be having with your child – coach vs. parent
Cringe moments
- Initially Clayton was very structured and controlling. He learned to incorporate different ways to facilitate and teach vs. structure and commands.
Teaching Skills
- The difference between learning and performance – Create variation in activities vs. blocked practice design.
- Dynamic systems theory – Provide a few guidelines, then allow athletes to try different strategies and learn. Small-sided tactical games are a great way to do this.
Mental toughness
- Routines can reduce stress – Having a pre-bat routine in baseball reduces stress. Practice it. In practices, before they perform a task, have them: Take a deep breath, one positive thought, then we go. A positive thought is best when process related: fast and loose vs. get a hit.
Culture
- It starts with core values. Keep it tight – have only a couple core values. Then you have to define what behaviors demonstrate those core values.
- Great analogies to reward behviors –
- The Sugar Shaker – who made practice sweeter today?
- The Live Sponge – who learned and applied something new today?
Connecting with and impacting kids
- Clayton coached a kid who was struggling in school, he had a big presentation coming up – so they used some of the same mental skill approaches they use in athletics to apply to his presentation
The one that got away
- Clayton played on a team in college that went to the playoffs, and they got pampered and ate a bunch of unhealthy food. They had not educated their players throughout the season about the importance of their diet.
Best borrowed/stolen idea
- Clayton played with Justin Gordon – and Justin did a great job using analogies
Favorite Quote/Book
- Book: The Mental Game of Baseball by H.A. Dorfman and Karl Kuehl
- Book: The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge
- Book: The Double Goal Coach by Jim Thompson
- Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck
- Book: True Competition by David Light Shields and Brenda Light Bredemeier
- Book: Understanding Sports Coaching by Tania G. Cassidy and Robyn L. Jones
Parting Advice
- Challenge: How can you embed life skills into your practice drills? Decision making, resiliency, social skills.
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