How teaching IGCSE & A level Physical Education and obtaining a Sport Science degree has enhanced my football coaching journey.

I have been fortunate to have made a career in the sports industry. In worked two back to back jobs when I started out after completing my Sport Science Degree at the? University of Pretoria. I taught IGCSE and AS/A level Physical Education at Courtney House International School for several years whilst being the Technical Director of Kaela Football Club. ?This dualistic role allowed me to acquire so much knowledge both practically and theoretically for my job as a youth football coach. IGCSE and A level Physical Education taught me critical thinking skills and allowed me to dig deep into the embedded field of sports performance.

When I was in college I found myself at University studying to pass, instead of going deeper into the subject content to acquire the meaning of the embedded knowledge. Obtaining a qualification was the outcome, and all too often I would be preparing for assessments and examinations at the last minute.? Looking back I was studying to scrape through and often just touched the surface of the subject matter.

Fast forward to when I taught IGCSE and AS/A Level Physical Education at the International school. I needed to know my story before classes with my students. Looking back, A level PE was rigorous, to a degree that I thought the subject content was harder than my Sport Science degree at the University of Pretoria. I would spend on average 2-3 hours a day, preparing for a 45-minute lesson with the A level students. The Cambridge International Examinations syllabus at A Level covered theory such as Anatomy and Physiology, Exercise and Health and contemporary studies on Sports. On a practical level it assessed students in four sporting codes. It also put students in situations of modified game situations that they needed to compete it. It taught me about the intricate details of many other sports such as basketball, netball, golf, tennis, weight training, lifesaving, cricket, and horse riding.

This aided my football coaching, because in South Africa football coaching courses are few and far between. Teaching A levels every day allowed me to reflect on subject content such as motor learning and skill acquisition, sport psychology, physical training, programme design, sport injuries and much more in the specialization of my choice which was Football. Along the way I have learnt about video editing, performance analysis and technology in sports. A levels have really broadened my horizons and allowed me to pursue many avenues within the sport science domain. I have gone from sport development to sports for development, being a match data gatherer and a performance academy coach. I have literally touched on every single avenue of sport performance besides extensive work in strength and conditioning, sports data analytics and the physiology aspects of performance.

So what am I saying, instead of learning about the factors that influence performance in a Football coaching license in a couple of months, I was learning about the science of sport performance every day for a period of five years. This sharpened my understanding of how human beings learn and I believe its given me a competitive edge in comparison to coaches who only get their coaching badges. I have taken the scenic route in obtaining my coaching licenses, but have enjoyed the journey so far, after completing my CAF C Diploma last year to add to the Coerver Youth Diploma, KNVB introduction course and SAFA Youth License I believe I am in a better position to tackle the UEFA qualifications. What’s equally as important is that I must not forget where I come from through teaching A level Physical Education and that I should be grateful for the skills I have developed over time.

All to often I see coaches rushing to get their coaching licenses without taking the time to soak in the ambience and to let the game to be the teacher. I encourage coaches to take up additional qualifications or short courses offered online to strengthen their coaching arsenal. Cambridge has taught me to know more than I did yesterday as I continue my journey of development.

Furthermore, living in Japan and seeing how school sports is run, I am grateful for the lessons learnt whilst teaching PE because it certainly is helping me now to understand the situation of the neuroscience of developing players. Especially in Football one is a student of the game and continuously keeps learning. Its important that you equip yourself with the tools that will give you the edge. IGCSE and AS/A level certainly did. Added to this, the University of YouTube is filled with resources to aid your coaching pathway, there is often a training session topic already covered, all you must do is package it in your own way from your own local context. This is how I continue to add coaching content to my backpack. I have a set of themes that I cover in a space of a year to coach players in, every year I add two or three drills to each theme in the methodology through watching YouTube videos.

I look forward to continue growing in the world of football. Currently I am registered for the neuroscience and sport performance course through Barca Innovation Hub. I am also looking to do a talent identification and scouting course with PFSA and a performance analysis course also. Additionally, I am looking to complete the FIFA medicine course online and the safeguarding in sport course. In this game of football you need to be continuously evolving and growing, otherwise you will be left behind. Equip yourself with skills that will give you the competitive edge a coaching course will do this but you need so much more.