What Makes a Great Coach?

Being  a coach in any sport is not an easy task, beyond being technically and tactically sound, what else can you do to become a better coach.  These are  few tips that came from instructing the Hockey Canada Safety Course. 

1) Be a Good Role Model - demonstrate to your athletes good life skills, teach them to win gracefully, learn from their mistakes and failures.  

2) Create a Safe & Respectful Environment - Not only will skills develop better when athletes feel safe, your athletes will achieve more success as those skills develop.  Respect plays a major role in safety be it respect for your competition, team-mates or training partners, the respect you give the athletes and show to other coaches and officials. 

3) Continue Education - Educate yourself. Take courses, be it to improve your technical or tactical repertoire as it is always important to fill your tool box.  It is also important to take courses or seminars that will improve player health, safety and well being.  First Aid, CPR, and injury courses, nutrition, goal setting, anything that can improve you or give you tools to improve your athletes is a benefit. 

4) Take in Account the Whole Athlete - We all at times forget that athletes are not just physical beings.  When we ask how they are doing we need to get beyond the skills, the techniques, the injuries or the performance.  The mental and emotional aspects of athletes can effect all of those.  Events that are occurring with family, friends or at school can weigh on how an athlete performs.  These distractions can also lead to being more injury prone as they aren't focusing on proper technique or tactics. 

While this list is definitely not inclusive these few tips can help you be just a coach who can teach skills and tactics into a coach who truly creates a great environment for their athletes to excel both in sport and life. 

Preparing for the Upcoming Season as a Coach

Many sports are beginning to start preparations for the upcoming fall and winter seasons.  Depending on your role in sports be it coach, athletes, or parent how you prepare for the season will differ.  In a three part series we will discuss some of the keys to preparing for the season so that everyone can find success. 

For many coaches there is no off season or down time. Once the season ends they are going over how to improve for next year.  By half way through they are ordering supplies, uniforms and planning their practice and game schedule.  All of this may seem very easy and very routine after a couple of years of coaching, but complacency can be one of the greatest threats to safety. 

When ordering supplies it is important to take into account any changes in equipment policy and regulation.  Equipment manufacturers are great for making something new and improved, however does that new and improved model meet your league and governing body regulations?  Are the new improvements actually for the better or will they cause more harm to your athletes?  Did they remove padding to make the item lighter, leaving your athletes more prone to injury?  These are some of the questions that need to be asked to either your equipment manager or equipment representative.

Another aspect of ordering supplies is restocking your first aid and medical kit.  Replacing all used and expired items.  Keeping your first aid kit up to date with appropriate supplies to your sport and personal qualifications, is a major step in your risk management program.  

Scheduling practices and games is very time consuming and at times very frustrating.  Keeping a good practice to game ratio is very important to avoid physical and mental development and to promote proper skill acquisition.  A minimum ratio of 2:1 would be nice.  For those coaching/teaching sports that do not involve games, keeping the number of hours of practice down is equally as important.  Look at the schedule from a monthly and yearly perspective as this will give you a better indication of what is actually going on, not just a week to week basis.  

As a coach/instructor preparing your athletes for all aspects of life, not just the given sport is the greatest task you will be given.  Mike Babcock has said it is a "great opportunity to make a difference", he is truly right.  You may not realize that not matter the age, you will be an influence on your athletes.  Being prepared to instil life skills and educate them on basics other than sports skills and tactics, will help you create better all round athletes, both on the playing surface and in life.  

I have met many coaches who feel they need to be an expert at everything and be able to do it all.  As the coach you are the captain of the ship.  You need to ensure you have everything taken care of to guide your ship straight.  Being prepared before the season starts will set you on the right course, but no matter what you will face some turbulent seas and need to adjust course.  Having a group of experts to help you right the course will set you apart from the rest. 

Follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt and check out our services at EliteInjury.com 

SCORE - Saving & Creating Better Athletes

Today is the official launch of our SCORE - Saving and Creating Better Athletes - program.   This program has been designed to give all school athletes tools to help them succeed in all areas of their lives.  The goal of the SCORE program is to create athletes who are not only better prepared to participate in sport and excel but also create athletes who are able to reduce the risk of injury and deal with injury and emergency situations if they do occur.

The SCORE program consists of the following. 

First Aid & CPR Certification 

In the case of any emergency having someone present who is able to perform CPR and       administer life saving first aid can be the difference between life and death.  Having these skills is not only applicable to those in sport but is a great life skill.  Student athletes will be certified in CPR, AED and First Aid.

Injury Recognition 

The importance of having first aid and CPR is great, however without the knowledge of how to recognize common sports injuries those skills are not useful.  We offer numerous injury recognition seminars including concussion recognition. musculoskeletal injuries, anaphylactic    reactions, spinal injuries, heat illness and medical episodes such as cardiac arrest, diabetes, and asthma.  

Sport Taping & Strapping

If you want to learn unique and practical taping techniques for most common sports injuries.  Participants learn proper taping procedures, when to tape and when not to, taping versus bracing, as well as have the opportunity to practice different taping techniques for all parts of the body.

Education Seminars 

Seminars will increase athletes awareness of health and safety topics. Participants will gain knowledge on how to perform at peak levels as well as knowledge to use in everyday life.  Topics include nutrition, injury prevention, drugs in sport and mental training skills such as goal setting.

Student Trainer Course

For those students who wish to expand their knowledge of sports medicine or who are wanting to pursue a career in sports medicine this is the place to start.  This course is comprised of three parts: First Aid and CPR certification, Sport Taping and Strapping and our Managing Injuries—A Trainer’s  Responsibility.

 By creating an athlete that not only has the skills to compete on the playing field or gym, but who now has the knowledge as to how injury prevention and management plays a role in athletic success.  The SCORE program truly makes athletes - student athletes as it gives direct education applicable to sport that they can carry over into every day life.

Please follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt and check out our website www.eliteinjury.com 

Why Proper Injury Management is Important

I recently treated a young dancer who hurt her leg at school.  The story of how she hurt her leg and her subsequent recovery is a perfect example as to why safety recognition and proper injury management is key. 

Now her mechanism of injury is somewhat amusing but totally preventable.  While at school she slipped on a pencil and awkwardly caught her balance.  She was unable to extend her leg fully and was walking around on her tippy toes when I saw her.  She complained of pain in her upper calf.  She had no swelling or deformity.  Her hamstring and calf were in spasm which was causing her pain.  I sent her home with instructions to RICE (rest, ice, compress & elevate).  This is where the story turns ugly.  She went to school the next day feeling better, that was until she was not allowed to ice during recesses and lunch.  When her mother arrived home, her ankle was swollen, bruised and sore.  She was in so much pain, you could not touch her leg without her crying.  Click here to see her ankle.  After one day of ice, elevation and rest the swelling had gone down and by day five full range of motion had returned and she is back to dance.

  

Her injury was totally preventable, making sure that things are not left on the floor and encouraging kids to be aware of their surroundings.  However, kids will be kids and that can't always happen.  What could have happened is the proper management post injury.  As was seen by her recovery once the RICE principle was initiated, if this had been done the day after injury then the swelling, pain and bruising would not have been so severe. 

Basic injury management principles are just that basic and simple.  The RICE principle has been around for many years and does not require much advanced knowledge of injury management.  Correct management obviously creates a more ideal situation for healing, which is in the best interest for everyone.  A similar situation is a friend of mine who hurt her knee during soccer.  Her husband told her to heat it that night.  These two situations show the importance of more education on basic injury management.  

As health professionals we may feel that everyone knows how to deal with acute injuries, but everyday athletes both young and old are getting improper advice which in turn prolongs their injury and taking them away from being active and achieving success. 

For more information on injury prevention and management follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt and check out our website www.eliteinjury.com 

Becoming an Athletic Therapist

So you want to become an Athletic Therapist.  Congratulations and welcome to one of the most rewarding careers you can find. If you want more information than provided here please go to www.athletictherapy.org

The first step towards becoming a Certified Athletic Therapist is to attend an accredited institution. We have seven institutions in Canada.  University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, Camosun College, Sheridan College and Concordia University all have degree programs in Athletic Therapy.  Mount Royal University offers a post degree certificate as well as a collaborative program with University of Regina, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge and Trinity Western University.  York University currently has probationary status. 

Upon completion of your education you will continue on the path of certification.  Before attempting the national certification exam you will need to have met the following requirements.  A valid CPR-HCP certification, completed a First Responder course, have your Supervisory Athletic Therapist (SAT) to approve your application and have completed 600 hours of both field and clinical work.  

The national exam consists of two parts.  The written exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions.  The oral-practical portion consists of both field and clinical components.  During the field exam you will face an urgent or non-urgent on field scenario, a sideline return to play scenario and a taping/support scenario.  The clinical component has to scenarios, injury assessment and rehabilitation.  The oral-practical exam is marked live by Certified Athletic Therapists.  

There are 6 domains of competencies that you will gain during your education and will need to demonstrate during your national exam.  

1. Prevention
2. Recognition and Evaluation 
3. Managing, Treatment and Disposition
4. Rehabilitation
5. Organization and Administration
6. Education and Counselling

Once you have completed all these steps you will receive one of the greatest pieces of mail stating you our now a Certified Athletic Therapist and get to use the professional designation of CAT(C).

Please follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt and check out our website at www.eliteinjury.com

Athletic Therapist as Coach Educator

As much as we all would like to live in a perfect world where every team, school, and club carried or hired an Athletic Therapist, we haven't reached that point and unfortunately never will.  After participating in the #sportssafety chat this past week, it came to my attention that no matter how hard we try to have ATs at all levels of sport it seems that there are obstacles that will never be removed.  So what do we do?  We need to work on educating the coaches on injury prevention, recognition and basic management.

When working with a team or not one of the roles an AT takes on is educating coaches on the above topics.  Injury prevention must be something that all participants buy into.  The coaching staff are the ones that run practices, make tactical plans for competitions and are the overall guardian of what goes on with the athletes. Coaches need to learn about topics such as proper warm up, nutrition, hydration, rest and equipment as they can be a major influence if not the key influence as to athlete safety.

When it comes to injury recognition and management, by no means do I think coaches should know the difference between the laxity of a grade 1 sprain vs a grade 2 nor should they learn how to place players on spine boards.  What coaches do need to know though are basic first aid, CPR and have an understanding of basic injuries.  ATs need to share some of their knowledge with coaches.  Coaches do need to understand the difference between sprains and strains and understand the severity of each.  This knowledge will help them become a better coach, as they will understand why their athletes are out of sport while injured.  Everyone involved in sport should have first aid and CPR, so they can deal with emergent situations and have basic splinting skills.  Where ATs come into the education role is to help coaches take that first aid knowledge and apply it to sport.  

We know that at some point in their coaching career a coach will have to deal with an injured athlete, by educating them as to how to prevent injuries, we can help them decrease the number they will see.  By expanding their skill set when it comes to injury recognition and management, they will feel more comfortable when an injury does occur.  Athletic Therapists have a wide knowledge base, and by no means should coaches be expected to have the same one.  What we as ATs need to do is help the coaches expand their knowledge base, take the fear and uncertainty away when it comes to injuries.  Give coaches the ability to handle an injury until the athlete can receive more advanced care and ensure that the injury is not made worse.  If we as ATs work to empower coaches then coaches will learn that we are an integral part of the sporting community.

Please follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt and check out our website at www.eliteinjury.com 

Don't Try This at Home

So you want to be the next Alexandre Bilodeau?  Word of advice, he didn't just strap on the skis one day and win 2 Olympic Gold medals the next.  Sure going down a ski hill at 40 km/hr sounds like fun, but remember they put speed bumps in the way and then ramps that launch you into the air.  Anyone who has tried moguls on a ski hill will tell you it is not a walk in the park.

One of the great benefits of the Olympic Games is that it inspires people to get more active and try something new.  How many little girls wanted to be Liz Manley after the 1988 Olympics in Calgary or skiers that were inspired by Jennifer Heil from 2006?  This is great but success like this does not come overnight.

No matter the sport that you decide to try you must first be realistic and take precautions.  Even what seems like a simple sport such as cross country skiing has its risks.  Taking on any exercise program must be done so gradually.  With many of the winter sports they are outside activities and the elements must be taken into consideration.  If you decide to start cross country skiing make sure you have appropriate clothing is key, as well as not to go to far at first. You will fatigue faster than you expect and my end up stranded on some trail.  Extreme sports like ski-slope, snowboarding and in my mind the sledding events, (who thought it would be a good idea to go sliding down a tube of ice head first) require lots of training and education.  These are not sports you should try without some coaching or supervision.

All sports come with risk and that needs to be remembered.  Do not go into any sport blindly, be aware of the physical demands that will be placed on the body, and enjoy finding something that gives you joy.

Working with High Performance Minor Athletes Part 1

Continuing with our what is an Athletic Therapist series we will discuss the different settings that we can work in.  This week will be focusing on dealing with high performance minor athletes.  Not all Athletic Therapists work with professional teams, in clinics or in high schools.  Some of us have choose to or worked our way up by working amateur sport with young athletes.  Depending on the sport we have worked with kids as young as five all the way up to those at eighteen.  It may seem simple and cut and dry as you are not dealing with high expectations of the professional spot light,  however the pressure and demands that occur in minor sports is high.

Sometimes I wished I was dealing with adults, it would make life so much easier.  When dealing with players under the age of eighteen so many legal issues come into play.  You become their guardian while on road trips, they can not make their own medical decisions, you at times are their mother, best friend, prison guard and teacher.  You are dealing with hormone changes and mood swings, school schedules, and the pressure of playing high level sports.

One of the major things I found when dealing with minor athletes who were competing at high levels was the amount of time expected of them to participate in sport or sport related activities.  Depending on the sport your athletes are going anywhere from five to seven days a week, with training, practice, film sessions, mental training, oh yeah and school.  At times we treat these athletes who are as young as eight like professionals.  I find it funny that they keep talking about the student athletes in post secondary, every athlete under the age of eighteen is a student athlete, and I will tell you not many junior high schools and high schools are as accommodating as post secondary ones for their athletes.  The number of times I have supervised homework sessions, relearned chemistry and math is beyond me.  I do know I do not want to go back to high school.

You help the athletes with their homework but also educate them on aspects of being an athlete, such as proper nutrition, physical training and injury management.  You become not only a teacher to the athletes but to the parents, coaches, officials and administrators.  Many of these people may be new to the high performance levels and needs that these young bodies require to perform at their best.  You learn how to explain things in about four to five different ways.  Athletes and coaches want to know how to achieve success, but need it explained a bit differently.  Parents generally want what is best for their child, and if they have more than one child you soon become knowledgeable about all of them.  Officials be quite young and just starting out or veterans to the sport who may not be up to date on the newest information on health and injury management.  I have found the best way to educate administrators is to put it in dollars and cents, and liability.  They need to worry about the sum of the whole not just the individual parts, you need to be the one who bridges that gap for them.  

When dealing with injuries and medical issues the most important thing that I always had to remember is that you are making the decision not about how does the injury effect their sport life, but their overall life.  This should be how we treat all athletes but unfortunately it is not.  A fourteen year old has so much life ahead of him and even the smallest decision you make can effect how that life will be.  Consultation with parents is always a must, and their decision is the one that counts on what treatment occurs.  You can recommend what you want, but they can say yes or no to it.  When travelling or if the parents are not present you get to make these decisions but you must do so in the best interest of the athlete.

When starting this topic I knew there was lots to explain, but did not realize how much.  Please check back on Thursday for Part 2 of Working with High Performance Minor Athletes.

Also please check out our website at www.eliteinjury.com and follow us on Twitter @EliteInjuryMgmt

Injury Prevention - Athletic Therapist at the Ready

To continue on with our What is an Athletic Therapist series, we will be focusing on their role in injury prevention.

Injury prevention is a major role for all athletic therapists, be it for initial injury or re-injury.  There are many aspects to injury prevention.  Two of the most important are physical preparedness and education.

Physical preparedness.  Athletic Therapists play a major role in helping ensure that their athletes can withstand the physical demands of their sport, both daily and from season to season.

Proper strength and conditioning involves everything from ensuring proper muscle balance, flexibility as well as proper aerobic and anaerobic conditioning for sport and position.  Their knowledge of biomechanics, anatomy and physiology enables each Athletic Therapist to work with each athlete on an individual basis to improve their performance.

On a daily basis the preparation for practice, game or event can range from stretching or muscle work, injury rehab, or taping and strapping all help prevent injuries.

Part of physical preparedness is also ensuring that the body is being provided with the proper nutrients and energy.  Ensuring that athletes have readily available nutritious food that will supply them with the proper energy reserves for their sport as well as educating all athletes in the area of nutrition.

Each day Athletic Therapists are educating athletes, coaches, parents and administrators.  Any time that as an Athletic Therapist you get to educate someone you are working towards injury prevention.  Even during the rehabilitation stage the knowledge you are passing on can help prevent further injuries.  From nutrition, injury care, concussion recognition, injury recognition, and beyond your Athletic Therapist is there to ensure that you have the knowledge and skills to stay healthy and in the game.

All Athletic Therapists are prepared to deal with any injury that may come their way, however their goal is to help you prevent those injuries from even occurring or reducing the time you are away due to injury.  Your success is always what every Athletic Therapist wants.