Marg Foster's Coaching Philosophies | #NWC19
- July 22nd, 2019
- Tom Bean
Over the Netball World Cup, we revealed winning Silver Ferns specialist coach, Marg Foster's coaching philosophies.
With a wealth of experience and as part of New Zealand's World Cup winning coaching team, Marg's philosophies reveals the best ways to overcome the pressures involved with being a netball. Discover everything from creating your own culture to promoting player ownership and how you can get them focussed to be the best netballer they can be.
Week 1 - Show Players No Limits
The first philosophy that Marg bases her coaching on is the belief that there are no limits and she challenges her players to prove this. To get them into the mindset of achieving what they want, Marg says that you need to have a real good connection with them and you need to relate well to get them believing that there are no limits.
"Show players there are no limits and challenge them to improve"
Keep your eyes peeled for next week's coaching philosophy and continue to build up your coaching toolkit by learning from the best!
Week 2 - Up Skill Your Players
After talking about how we should not be setting limits for out players, Marg Fosters next coaching philosophy is all about up-skilling our athletes. Marg believes that the best way to continuously improve is firstly to know your stuff and stay one step ahead of your athletes, but most importantly it is to get a strong connection and really relate to them to be able to move them.
"There's no wrong or right way to coach, it's about relating to athletes and being able to move them"
Keep your eyes peeled for next week's coaching philosophy which looks at creating a team culture.
Week 3 - Creating a Culture
Last week, Marg told us how to up-skill players to encourage continual improvement. The next part of her philosophy is to create an environment within which athletes can progress. She tells us how building relationships from the outset is key to creating a healthy culture in which athletes are not afraid to express themselves.
"The key is to make sure you've got really good relationship building from the start"
Keep your eyes peeled for week 4 of #FostersPhilosophies which promotes player ownership with team environments.
Week 4 - Promote Player Ownership
Last week, Marg showed us the importance of creating a culture where everyone is comfortable to express themselves. Her next coaching philosophy is to promote player ownership and distribute responsibility around the team. It's crucial that players take ownership as you can only do so much, once on the court, it's down to them to take the game plan and execute effectively.
"You help them with the structure but they're the ones that are driving the game plan"
Keep your eyes peeled for week 5 of #FostersPhilosophies which encourages coaches to be innovative in their sessions.
Week 5 - Be Innovative
Marg's last coaching philosophy explained how we need to give players ownership of the game plan to execute effectively. The next coaching philosophy encourages coaches to be innovative with their session planning. When you're coming up against issues, think outside of the box and be imaginative with new ways to overcome them - Marg explains how she's used a blueberry pie as well as an old t-shirt for new incentives for her players.
"Ensure they're loving it and coming to you for the time you've got them"
Keep your eyes peeled for week 6 of #FostersPhilosophies which promotes player ownership with team environments.
Week 6 - Promote a Love for the Game
Marg's most important coaching philosophy is to promote a love for the game. As a coach, the biggest mark of success isn't how many trophies you win, it's about the impact netball has on your players and what they contribute to the game after they move on from your coaching. Give them a strong work ethic and create better human beings in the process.
"The measure of your success is if they are still contributing to netball after leaving you"
Watch out for the final installment of #FostersPhilosophies in a bumper edition where Marg tells us about coaching coaches... you WILL get some top tips to transform your coaching!
Week 7 - Be The Best Coach You can Be
The world cup final is all about celebrating the best the a netball team can be - for the final installment of #FosterPhilosophies, Marg encourages you to the best you can be. Discover how to create your own culture, how to get players focussed and manage what she pens 'mental baggage' before crossing the line onto the court.