‘Supercharging coaching and coaches - Lifting our coaches to their next level’ 

The development of coaches and coaching in the sport of sailing is pivotal for ongoing and sustained success. Australian Sailing’s belief is that coaches, like athletes, are performers, and therefore should arrive at training and competitions ready to deliver the best version of themselves.  

Whilst the concept is not new, Coach Advance is one of the steps Australian Sailing is taking, in tandem with Coach Individual Development Plans aligned to our Australian Sailing Coaching Framework  and being very deliberate about applied learning, to accomplish this fundamental factor. These Coach Advance sessions happen in person annually, bringing together all our Performance Pathways and #NEXTLEVEL coaches to support their development.  

The latest iteration of Coach Advance, held in Adelaide in May, was the second time this group of coaches have gathered to support their own development and the development of others in the group. It was also an opportunity to introduce and welcome our new cohort of #NEXTLEVEL coaches to the group and to this type of forum as part of supporting their progression as coaches.  

“Being proactive, deliberate, and purposeful with coach development is required for Australian Sailing to foster an increased depth of coaching expertise and further enhance the pool of quality coaches,” said Ken Lynch, Australian Sailing's National Performance Pathways Manager. 

“Developing our coaching framework and creating opportunities like this for coaching to grow are key ingredients to generating coaching depth and expertise in Australia. Coach Advance is one vehicle to support us ‘Supercharging’ coaching as part of our overall high-performance strategy.” 

While the sailing-specific elements of coach development make up the cornerstones of the content for the three days these coaches are together, the underlying goal is generating more connectivity and collaboration across this group through a combination of knowledge sharing, problem solving and professional development.  

Coupled with fostering a culture of learning and understanding, the importance of having a shared purpose is a key driver for this work.  

Over the three days the coaches covered: 

• Technical development through a combination of sessions with Michael Blackburn and the coaches themselves presenting on technical drills to support learning; 
• ‘Mental Performance in Competition’ was covered by Will Tierney, Australian Sailing's Mental Performance in Competition Program Coordinator. Will worked with the coaches on the latest module in the roll-out of that program and the intended impact on development at Australian Sailing Futures level;  
• Iain Brambell, Australian Sailing's High Performance Director, refreshed the group on the system picture, highlighting key selection documents and the rationale for some of the changes; 
• Brendan Spillane, Tony Readings and Ken Lynch worked with the group on Leadership, Culture and the importance of working together to better enable the nation to succeed in the future; 
• Ash Brunning, Australian Sailing Performance Pathways Technical Manager, led the three days, focused on getting comfortable with feedback, the importance of safety and coach reflections on Futures and #NEXTLEVEL. 

The remainder of the three days was filled with coaches working together generating solutions around the technical elements of the sport, identifying areas of development and enabling quality communications and feedback.   

“Having Performance Pathways coaches and staff from around the country from Futures, State and #NEXTLEVEL is a great opportunity for coaches to understand what is going well and how they can help each other improve their coaching practice,” noted Brunning. 

“It was fantastic to see the interaction across the various levels of coaches in the room and the integration with national team level with Michael Blackburn and Iain Brambell present was a clear signal to the group that they are part of the High-Performance team and an important cog in the wheel in creating sustainable success for Australia.” 

Feedback from the three days was very positive. Coaches left with more confidence in connecting as groups, some additional tools to apply to coaching in their home environments and some thinking to do around their own development and the future development of the group as a national team of coaches. Thanks to all the contributed to the preparation, delivery and quality of the three days including SASI who hosted us down in Adelaide.