Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS), University ofTsukuba

2019

NCDA Coach Developer Programme 2019
Overview
The Nippon Sport Science University (NSSU) Coach Developer Academy (NCDA) conducted theth2019 NCDA coach developer Programme in Setagaya, Tokyo from the 8 of September to theth13 of September. Eleven delegates from different countries coming from varying backgrounds
such as Universities, Government and Non-Government Organizations participated in this 6-day
programme with a common purpose of training and learning to become future coachdevelopers in order to bring about positive changes to our respective sporting communities.

Introduction
The 2019 NCDA cohort came together for the first time on the 8th of September at the Setagaya
Guesthouse. A short Japanese Cultural Experience class took place that morning with theintention of not just learning about the Japanese culture, but to learn more about one another as well at
our first meeting. The theme of the session was about Orizomegami, which involves the Japanese
art of coloring folded papers by dipping them into dyes to create a unique pattern when unfolded.
Everybody had a great time bonding through this experience and each had a masterpiece to be proudof at the end of the session.

Learnings
Through the E-learning modules that were completed on our own prior to the commencement of
the program, we had an idea of what to expect for the upcoming days. The trainers (John Bales,Moncho, Lynnette, Masa and Saro) created a systematic structure for the programme that helped
to facilitate a progressive and fruitful learning experience. The first day of the Coach Developer
Programme was about understanding the concept of ‘Coach Developer’ while setting up ourvision of what the ideal coaching system will be like in the future. The four coaching approaches(Tell-Sell-Ask-Delegate) were demonstrated and it was important to understand the strength andweaknesses of each approach and what are the situations that will be appropriate for said approach.
Structure and strategies for creating a good facilitation session were the main topic for discussion
on the second day of the programme. The concept of LEARNS (Learner Centered,Environment, Actively involved, Reflection & feedback, New Knowledge and Stretched& challenged) is key to creating a quality coach developer session. The utilization of effective
questioning skills is crucial in the evaluation and development of coaches as a coach developer. A
facilitation practice was carried out for the participants to simulate how it is like to create and conduct
a simple session while implementing knowledge that had been taught in the earlier sessions. Eachparticipant presented a unique situation based on their background or career and took on therole as a coach developer to try and tackle the respective issue.
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2019

On the following day, a review was done on our individual visions with regards to our idealcoaching system while the trainers presented vision from their respective organizations (ICCE,Japan, Singapore & ITTF). The “Fishbone” diagram was used for the participants to identify
necessary elements in a quality coaching system and at the same time, identifying which elements arewithin our direct control, can be influenced or have no control over. It was crucial to understand theins and outs of a coaching system as it puts things into perspective and we can ask ourselves questions
such as “Who are the stakeholders that are responsible for the important elements wemight not have control over?”To conclude the programme, the final day was the presentation day for our personal Action
Plan of the next 90 days. Everyone had to discuss about the different components of the plan
through a PowerPoint presentation about the structure and content of the plan, what are the outcomes& how to measure progress and who will lead the team in each task within the plan. A 20-minutediscussion following each presentation is facilitated by the speaker in order to receive
opinions and critics from the floor about how the plan could be further improved and what are someof the obstacles that one might face and how to overcome such situations in the future.

Personal Insights
Overall, it was a wonderful program and I had fruitful experience learning from the trainers
and colleagues alike. As the concept of Coach developer is still relatively new, it is important tolearn and spread about the positive influence the role could bring into the respective sporting
industries. Networking with international colleagues was an interesting experience as wellsince everyone comes from different organizations and backgrounds, it was interesting to learn about
their opinions and methods of tackling issues in their respective environment. This experience had

given me many new insights and knowledge and I am grateful for having thisopportunity to further build on my skillsets for my future career.
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2019

Thank you NCDA-TIAS,
Joshua Kwee
Graduate Student
Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS)
Faculty of Health & Sport Sciences
University of Tsukuba
Dated: 2019.09.17

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