Volleyball England- New Level One Coaching Award Unveiled
Volleyball coaches in England will be better equipped with the skills they need set them off on their coaching journey thanks to a new qualification.
The volleyball level one coaching award has been re-designed following feedback from the volleyball community. The award is the entry-level qualification for coaches in England and arms them with the essential knowledge they need to step into an assistant coach role at a volleyball club.
“The review of the old level one coaching award found that it wasn’t fulfilling all the needs of our core market,” says Gillian Harrison, Technical and Talent Coordinator for Volleyball England. “The feedback was that there were key areas of knowledge that they wanted to know about.”
The new level one coaching award will be launched on February 1, 2018. The biggest change is that it focuses on how to coach adults to play six versus six volleyball.
“A large survey found that most of our coaches are training adult players and they wanted to know how best to do that,” says Gillian. “The old course was aimed at teaching complete beginners to play volleyball and building up with smaller sided games.”
The new award takes a game-based approach, meaning it focuses on developing players skills by using training sessions which replicate match situations. Other practical elements of coaching, such as how to develop a positive relationship with players, feature too.
Coaches who passed the old course are still recognised as qualified. They can progress to level two, which further develops coaches’ knowledge so they have the skills to be the coach of a volleyball team. Their feedback from those who qualified through the old level one has been crucial to developing the new format. The former course was accredited by 1st4Sport but the new level one is a Volleyball England award.
“Being a Volleyball England award gives more flexibility about what the course can include, meaning it better suits the needs of our coaches,” says Gillian. “Coaches who already hold a level one can progress to level two, but if they want to attend the new level one, they’re more than welcome to do that too.”
The qualification is focused on developing creative coaches who can identify the needs of their players and help them build their ability to make good decisions on court. There is no final exam at the end of the course, instead learners must meet the learning outcomes as they progress through the course.
“The log book and one-to-one assessment have been replaced,” says Gillian. “Learners will be assessed by the tutor throughout the course to ensure they are developing the required knowledge, skills and understanding of a level one coach.”
As well as improving its content, the course is now more accessible. The course has been reduced to two days, from three days previously, making it more convenient for coaches to attend. Learners will be required to complete online activities as part of the course too. Volleyball England has also formed a partnership with The Art of Coaching Volleyball, an online coaching resource, which coaches will have access to even after the course so they can continue their development.
It also now easier to host a course too. The minimum number of people required to attend for a course to go ahead has been reduced to 10 people, from 12 people previously. The cost of the new course will be just £150 per person.
“We’ve listened to what the volleyball community needed and worked with experts and coaches from all levels of the game to create the new course curriculum,” says Steve Matthews, Technical Director on the Volleyball England Board. “It is a great step to improving the abilities of coaches in England from the grassroots upwards. Coaches will have the knowledge they need to improve their players, which is great news for their teams and clubs.”
You can book a place on a course from February 1, 2018 or find out how to host a level one award on the Volleyball England website.