The benefits of coaching athletics
We talk to funetics Leader Amelia Griffiths
There is no question that 15-year-old Amelia Griffiths is passionate about athletics and running! So much so that in addition to her own training, she is now a qualified funetics Leader and coaches the younger children at her club, Vale of York Athletic Community.
Hear from Amelia as she explains what she loves most about being a funetics Leader.
"I started coaching for Vale of York around September, at the start of the season. However, before this I was introduced to coaching athletics at the summer camp, which we organised throughout August, and this inspired me to progress my coaching."
"Throughout the summer camp I learnt how to set up warm up drills and how to explain a drill or game to the group. At first it was quite intimidating, but with the support of Beverley and Ian, fellow leaders Erin, Harry and I got the hang of it towards the middle of the week. After learning the initial points of coaching, England Athletics offered us a funetics Leaders course. This meant we could begin to take the first steps towards our goal of becoming qualified coaches."
"Harry, Erin and I gladly took up the opportunity, and I learnt a lot of things over the course, progressing my coaching and drill/game building. The course enabled me to learn about different targets and what we should aim to teach the children at training. After the course, I saw an improvement in my coaching and I felt more confident delivering independently."
"Now, every Monday, Harry, Erin and I coach two younger athletics groups alongside Ian and Beverley. In these training sessions, we explore different track and field events. As we are currently out of the athletics season we adapt the events so they can be practised indoors. We also incorporate cross country warm up exercises to help the children who wish to take part in these events."
"With the younger athletics group, we also adapt drills and training techniques to be more age appropriate. This has helped me learn how to become more adaptable and unique with my drills for training."
"In the first couple of weeks of helping out, I was a little unsure as I didn't want the children to get bored. In the following weeks, I made a booklet of different fun warm-ups that were for the younger or older groups. This was beneficial for both the children and myself. They started to get more excited and involved in the warm-ups and I was also more prepared for every session."
"Since I joined Vale of York less than a year ago, I didn't really know what to expect, but with Beverley and Ian as my coaches, I have progressed massively in athletics in such a short space of time and this is what inspires me to be a coach."
"Coaching has been such a great experience, and is always the highlight of my week to see the kids enjoy our coaching and to help them improve and follow their passions. I can't wait to see where I can go with this and I really appreciate all the help and support Vale of York Athletic Community and England Athletics has given me."