With less than 100 days now to London 2012, we caught up with UK All Sports’ Judo Ambassador Neil Eckersley to hear about his Olympic memories and receive some valuable tips for all aspiring athletes & coaches!

What are your greatest memories as a Judo player?

My memories all revolve around fulfilling my childhood dream of performing at the greatest sporting spectacle on earth; The Olympics. I hold so many proud memories; Everything from being informed of my selection for my first Olympic Games to marching behind the union Jack in both Olympic opening ceremonies and receiving my Olympic rings. I was fortunate enough to take part in two Games, Los Angeles & Seoul. Predictably Los Angeles holds the greatest memories for me, as that was where I won my Olympic medal.

Is Great British Judo in a healthy place going into the Olympics 2012?

On the whole the team is in good shape for the London games, but the final preparations are crucial and will need to go like clockwork in order for the team to have a positive outcome.

My advice to aspiring Judo Players would be; to have a positive attitude and outlook, be honest, hard-working, dedicated and realistic in relation to your expectations, view defeat as a learning tool and do not blame others for poor performance.

How hard did you find the transition from player to coach?

My transition into the coaching world was on the whole pretty straightforward; I think it was a positive move that I did not embark on a coaching career as soon as I retired from competitive judo. I worked and spent time in the real world before being asked to be a part of the coaching system. This experience was beneficial and allowed me to have a realistic and honest approach to my coaching practice.

Did you find that the fact that you were an international player, put more pressure on you as a coach and increased peoples expectations?

No on the contrary my experiences as an elite performer helped lower the expectations due to the fact that I had had a unique insight into being a successful performance athlete.

What advice would you give to aspiring coaches out there?

Listen, observe, seek advice, access specific and related training and be true to your beliefs. Have a needs led approach. Ensure that you the coach have a constructive, not judgmental, professional relationship with your athletes.

Knowledge, experience, understanding, empathy, adaptability, and having a creative vision are in my opinion the main qualities of becoming a successful coach.

What hurdles did you experience in becoming a professional coach and how did you manage to get over them?

Having high unrealistic expectations which were formed from my own experiences and success was at first a major hurdle that I experienced.  But with support and guidance from coaches who were highly experienced within their field I managed to address this situation.

Talk to us about one of your major coaching roles/positions..

One of my most successful roles was as Performance/Potential Coach for British judo. The structure that I implemented resulted in major international success for the athletes that were identified within the program. The majority of the athletes within the program then went on to represent the Association in the Olympic Games, I managed and coached these athletes for a number of years, this role and commitment gave me great satisfaction.

If there was not Judo, what do you think you would be doing as a career?

I have been an artist for over 10 years, recently I have formed my own arts studio Portland Street Studios which is based in Lancaster, and I am passionate about art, my painting allows me to express myself totally in a unique way. If anybody is interested in viewing my work it is available on the Saatchi Gallery website. Just go onto the online section & enter Neil Eckersley, or follow this link (http://www.saatchionline.com/profile/96946) where you can view a selection of my paintings.

To hear more about Neil’s Playing & Coaching Career and what he can offer UK All Sports’ clients, please click here

To see a behind the scenes view of Neil filming for the BBC please click here

There are many different Courses available to become a Personal Trainer or Fitness/Kettlebell Instructor. Before embarking on a course, be sure that this is a role you seriously want to do. Ask Personal Trainers at your local gym; how they find it as a career and get some tips with how to go about it yourself. Also if you already know there is a market in your local area and you know people who will be happy to be trained by you then this may make the transition even smoother.

One of our recommended clients have courses available across the board, taking place in London over the next few months. The courses encompasses Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor & Kettlebell Instructor, Indoor/Outdoor Cycling modules. As well as looking at Social Media and Marketing Business Courses to teach you how to make this profession a successful business.

For more details just get in contact; info@ukallsports.com with ‘Personal Trainer Courses’ as the subject.

Tennis

We are recruiting a tennis coach for one of our clients, a School based in Buckingham. The role starts in the next School Term, with sessions running throughout April, May & June on both a Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesdays Dates; 1/5, 8/5, 15/5, 22/5, 29/5, 12/6 & 19/6 & Thursdays Dates; 26/4, 3/5, 10/5, 17/5, 24/5, 31/5, 14/6, 21/6. Time of sessions: 3.15 – 5.15pm. If you are a qualified tennis coach and available for the above dates, please register with UK All Sports.

Football

Academy Coach (reference code; FL2)

We are looking for a UEFA B qualified coach (or above) with the relevant First Aid & Safeguarding certificates to run an U.13′s Academy side for our client, a club in the Football League, based in Hampshire. Coaching Hours; Monday; 5-6.30pm, Wednesday; 6.30-8pm, Friday; 5.30-7pm, Sunday Morning Game, Kick off usually 11am. The club does have a lot of coaches currently working for free, however we have negotiated a salary here for the successful candidate. The salary is: £20 per session for the Monday, Wednesday & Friday sessions. £30 to cover the match on Sunday. Register with UK All Sports to declare your interest.

Community Coaches (reference code; EPL5)

Our Client, an English Premier League Football Club are looking for freelance coaches to work in the Surrey, Middlesex & London area, as part of their community program. Work could range from 1 hour a week to 25 hours a week. If interested in working for a Professional English Club as a football coach then please register with UK All Sports by visiting our coach sign up page. We will then send you an application form for you to fill out and return.

Holiday Opportunities

Camp Managers & Coaches (reference code; HOLS)

Our client, one of the major holiday camp providers in England are looking to recruit coaches for all of their camps throughout 2012. The camps are running in North London, Wokingham, Weybridge, Bromsgrove. A variety of roles are available, including Manager, Lead Coach and Assistant Coach in a variety of sports from Cricket, to Football, Tennis, Gymnastics & Dance. All coaches require a CRB and a first Aid qualification. Salary dependent upon role, qualification and experience.

Please visit our Jobs page for further details of these job posts and for a taste of some other vacancies available through UK All Sports.

You will receive details of all vacancies prior to them being advertised on our public Job Board, increasing your chances of successfully filling the role, as you will be among the first to hear about them!! Regularly jobs do not even make it on to our job board (or any other for that matter) as they have already been filled by those on our database;

Please visit the Coach Sign Up page to register with UK All Sports

As you would have heard a thousand times before (there is a reason for that as it is so important), make sure you arrive on time! Better than that turn up 15 minutes before the start time. First impressions are everything, so turn up early and dressed appropriately. UK All Sports will outline whether to attend in coaching attire or something smarter. If the interview includes a practical assessment, once again we will notify you of this, it is then down to you to ensure you prepare properly and plan a session to impress the interviewer.

A few helpful tips;

• Remain eye contact while answering questions.
• Go to the interview with your CV memorised. This way you can talk freely and openly about your coaching credentials and impress the interviewer with your previous experience and responsibilities.
• Research the client and how they operate, so you are best placed to outline how you will easily fit into the role and match their ethos.
• Have a few questions noted down of your own to ask, as this will show them that you have actually researched the client and are aware of what they offer.
• Take with you a detailed written session plan. Even if the interviewer does not ask for these, it is sometimes beneficial to demonstrate your preparation by providing an example of a session you would run for them, written out properly.
• Take with you copies of all relevant qualifications to demonstrate once more you are fully qualified for the role (Coaching Qualification, First Aid, Safeguarding, CRB etc).
• Outline how much you want the role and how you fit it perfectly!

UK All Sports will then inform you on whether you have been successful or not. If not, where possible we will provide you with feedback, to learn from, increasing your chances of being successful next time around.

Also the opportunity to attend seminars involving how to use Social Media as a way of gaining more business.

Please contact nick@ukallsports.com for details of all the latest course dates and content.

This will bring up new challenges at every different level and the more experience you gain, the more equipped you will be at dealing with any challenge that arises in the future.

As you are well aware coaching a group of 6/7 year olds the basics of the sport is very different to running sessions for an experienced Under 16 side, where all the basics have been learnt and you are now enhancing their skills. There is no better way of bettering yourself as a coach, than getting out there and coaching!

Work out;

• What is your most effective coaching style for each age group and ability (asking a lot of questions or being very direct and outlining the possible problems and solutions for example)
• What drills work best for certain groups (adapt the drills you have learnt on your course to suit your specific participants)
• What gets the participants engaged the most (different for each group – the technical drills or the game based drills for example)

No 2 sessions are the same, so by building your experience and constantly dealing with challenges that arise on a day-to-day base, you will make yourself a better coach in the long run.

Future employers will be impressed by those coaches that have put themselves out of their comfort zone and have coached all ages, abilities & backgrounds, as it shows commitment to want to better oneself. All of which will help in GETTING YOURSELF NOTICED!

Football

Euro 2012, Champions League, FA Cup & Carling Cup

Golf

Ryder Cup, US Masters, Open Championship

Rugby

World Cup 2011 Semi-Finals & Final

6 Nations

Ireland & Wales games at Twickenham

Formula 1

Monaco Grand Prix

Tennis

Wimbledon

If interested in attending any of these events and want to hear more about the packages on offer please do get in touch via the contact details below.

Every coach must;

Be CRB checked. Clients do from time to time put coaches through their own CRB checks. Ensure that if you do say that you are CRB enhanced that it is still in date (within 3 years of issue date).

Have First Aid & Child Safeguarding Certificates. When you complete your coaching qualifications, you are placed on to these two courses. Again please note that these need to be renewed every 3 years.

Specific coaching qualifications such as level 1/2 etc must be kept up to date where necessary.

It is always a shame when a coach has the right coaching credentials for the job but is let down because his/her qualifications are out of date. Clients will sometimes be lenient in instances where you are already booked onto a renewal course in the near future.

Please check with your sports governing body for when the next courses in your area are being run.

The piece was  aired on Wednesday 12th October on BBC1. The Photos below were taken on the day of recording.

Neil talking through various techniques before demonstrating them!!

Neil performing a few throws….

For more information on Neil and his competing and coaching background please visit Neil’s profile page.  If you want to hire Neil for media work, coaching sessions and/or presentations then please do get in touch via the contact details below.

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