Planning a Training Season
Special Olympics requires that an athlete participate in an eight-week training program before entering a competition. This includes instruction on the basic skills of golf and a Summary of the Rules of Golf. It is up to the individual instructor or coach to plan his or her own eight-week training program using this information as a guideline. Other material related to golf training or golf experience by the instructor is welcomed.
Prior to season you have:
- Recruited athletes and coaches
- Developed your seasonal budget
- Trained Coaches, volunteers
- Hosted a Family Orientation
- Secured a training site
It is suggested that the eight-week training program consist of two practice sessions per week. Each practice should be at least one hour in duration and it is recommended that each practice include the following elements:
- Warm-up session
- Review previous instruction
- Introduce new skills
- Incorporate rules into instruction
- Play a fun game
Ideally, a professional should give supervision of each Special Olympics Golf program, even though volunteers from various sources will probably handle much of the training process.
Considerations:
- Trained personnel must give the volunteers as much instruction as possible.
- This instruction should be perfectly clear and acceptable to each potential instructor.
- Each instructor must:
- Be comfortable in his/her physical teaching skills
- Have a high level of enthusiasm
- Maintain realistic hopes and expectations as to what is to be gained through this process
Because golf is a game where skill may improve with time and practice, it is necessary that we do not raise our expectation to too high a level. But conversely, to enter this training period with very low expectations would be wrong because much improvement can result from inspiration and instruction on the correct level for the individual concerned. If pupil and instructor a like enters this training period with high expectations, the rewards, which may be garnered, are beyond belief.
