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A player-centred approach to coaching can enhance people and performance.

Welcome to Player-centred Coaching where we introduce you to leadership frameworks that can be applied to grow people and performance in business, teaching or sport. In this course these frameworks are applied to sports coaching, however we encourage you to think about how they might apply to your own context.

We examine the differences between coach-centred and player-centred coaching approaches and apply these differences to the learning cycle introduced in the course Coaching in the Knowledge Era.

We focus in more depth on the review and plan phases of the learning cycle and examine the impact of both a coach- and player-centred approach on player development and performance. This course aims to address the big question: What are the impacts on growing people and enhancing performance of coach-centred and player-centred coaching?

You’re encouraged to share your thoughts with others in the comments, and we look forward to your active engagement in learning about player-centred coaching and the strategies you use to grow people and performance.

This course is the second in a series developed by Paddy Upton and Deakin University. The first course is Coaching in the Knowledge Era.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• differentiate between coach-centred and player-centred coaching
• explain the differences between the art and science of coaching
• apply player-centred coaching principles to enhance player/team performance.

For an overview of all course activities and steps refer to the course map.

Meet the team

Your lead educator for this course is Paddy Upton. Paddy is an accomplished international cricket coach who brings a modern approach to coaching.

You’ll also be supported in conversations and discussions by mentor Dr Sharon Pittaway. Sharon is an experienced teacher and has worked closely with Paddy in the development of this course.

Select their names to find out more about each team member and follow them for course updates, feedback and discussions.

Frameworks

The frameworks I share in this course are ones I apply to my own practice, whether that’s with sports people or business leaders. They’re adaptations and blends of many frameworks drawn from the fields of education, leadership and business.

There are many frameworks that can be applied to helping others grow and develop – these are ones I’ve found to be successful in my own practice. Use and/or adapt them as you see fit, to your own context as appropriate.

Your task

To find out more about the key topics you’ll explore in Week 1 watch the video. You can also download and print a course map.

Take some time to introduce yourself, and tell us why you’re interested in this course and what you hope to learn.