ASCA MENTOR COACH GUIDELINES

Overview

The ASCA Level 1 and 2 Strength and Conditioning Coaching Courses have a compulsory practical coaching
component. The number of hours required for successful completion is 30 for Level 1 and 60 for Level 2. Mentoring
can occur at any stage of the accreditation process post course attendance.

It is the requirement that at least 1/3rd of these hours be spent observing or being supervised by a ‘Mentor Coach’. This
Mentor Coach is expected to be a person with an ASCA Accreditation at the minimum level that the course candidate
is working towards. E.g. a person working towards their Level 2 ASCA accreditation will require a mentor with a Level
2 or higher accreditation.

The following information is designed to provide each mentor with necessary information to provide a positive learning
experience that will accelerate the development of S&C Coaches.

Introduction

Mentoring is an essential component in the development and knowledge sharing of strength and conditioning coaches
and is a requirement of the ASCA and the Australian Sports Commission for accreditation purposes. This process
provides a means of tapping into the knowledge base of strength and conditioning coaches, allowing opportunities for
them to share their knowledge and skills. Those who participate as mentors are supporting those who are seeking to
advance their knowledge and careers and gain accreditation within the strength and conditioning industry. This important
and vital role is highly valued by the ASCA and the Australian Sports Commission as such this resource document
provides guidance for successful participation in the mentoring process.

Mutual Benefits of Mentoring

In a mentoring relationship the mentee should be supported and assisted in developing their knowledge and skills,
through this process mentors will often gain a mutual benefit from the relationship. These benefits come from the
satisfaction of assisting a fellow coach to progress; in observing them grow and start to thrive in the strength and
conditioning industry.

Some of the potential benefits to the Mentee include:

 Increased knowledge and understanding of the direction of the strength and conditioning industry
 Clarification of career direction
 Progression of career goals
 Feedback provided on ideas, questions, opportunities
 Development of new networks
 Development of new and/or different perspectives
 Development of skills and knowledge
 Enhancement of management and leadership skills
 Increased knowledge and wisdom across a range of competencies
 Development of profile within the ASCA

There are other potential benefits to the mentor if you are open. The mentee will come with different ways of looking at
things, different experiences, perhaps different cultural background and different knowledge, which has potential to add
value to the mentor. Mentees often provide a fresh approach and enthusiasm to develop professionally.
Other benefits to the Mentor may include:

 Contribute towards your own Updating Hours for re-accreditation;

 Contributing to the development of others within the profession;
 Make a positive impact and pass on the gift of guidance that someone has given you earlier in your career;
 Increase your leadership and communication skills;
 Appreciate the value placed by others on your own life experiences
 Gain an understanding of a new generation of coaches
 Demonstrate your coaching and personnel development skills
 Increase your professional network and liaise with future colleagues
 Gain additional recognition and respect
 Contribute to the development of others and the future direction of the ASCA
 Development and extension of networks
 Development of profile within the ASCA

The mentor can be challenged in their own thinking and in working through issues with the mentee, can undertake their
own reflective practice about how and why they do or believe certain things, which encourages the personal/professional
growth of the mentor as well.

Key Element

The mentoring relationship should be structured to allow development of both the mentor and the mentee. It should be
a learning experience – not just a process of ‘signing off’ for practical experience.

Vehicles for mentoring

It is the intent that mentoring hours be spent involved in the training process of athletes or teams as opposed to general
members of the public. The athletes or team can be any age, sex, sport and level of competition. Involvement in the
training process is described as any or all of the following: observation, supervision, program design, analysis and
feedback.

Coaches and their mentors will need to decide on how to best communicate during the mentoring process. While it is
ideal that mentoring is completed face-to-face not all will have the ability to meet in person on a regular basis particularly
in remote or regional areas. The choice for communication will depend on each individual’s preferences as well as the
availability of access to technology. Some options include:

 In person
 Skype or similar media platform
 Video

In person:

 The mentor observes the mentee in action and verifies that they have met the requirements of the coaching
practicum.
 The mentor may even take part of a session to give the mentee an opportunity to see them in action.
 The mentee attends a practice session or competition, (however you need to consider the effect that any
mentoring will have on the performance of the athlete/team). Perhaps scheduling sometime with the mentor
after competition to review coaching is the best compromise.
 The mentee may also take part of the session under the supervision of the mentor.
 The mentor may act as a sounding board, challenging their current practice and helps them to find solutions to
problems. E.g. discuss and review program design.
 Skype (or similar media)

 Planning of sessions/seasons. Having a mentor comment on plans can help to identify any
shortcomings and enable mentees to build better plans for the future.
 Developing coaches often have little opportunity to work with sport scientists learning from a mentor
how to best use these personnel can be a valuable experience.
 Analysis of video of an athlete performing. Mentor shows a video of an athlete performing an exercise
and the mentee provides the analysis. Mentors can encourage mentee to role-play how they might talk
to the athlete about their performance of change their technique.

Video:

 Coaching is a very practical activity and mentors will be far more effective if they can actually see the
mentee in action. Be sure though that the mentee tries to capture appropriate images and sound and
always ensure that you keep their tapes confidential and return them with your comments and feedback.
 Be sure that the mentee provides you with some background and the goals and plan for the session as
you need to be aware of the context in which the video is taken.
 The video process should be a catalyst for discussion of the mentee performance and not solely focus
on the exercise itself.

Foundation for successful mentoring partnerships

 Develop and communicate clear goals and expectations at the beginning of the mentoring process
 Set the ground rules and develop an agreement (see attached)
 Clarify the roles of the mentor and mentee
 Work out when and how feedback will occur
 Review the partnership at regular intervals

Some do’s and don’ts for mentors

 Allow the mentee to take responsibility for ‘driving’ the relationship

 Have reasonable expectations of the person you are mentoring – remember they are still learning!
 Confidentiality is essential
 Avoid the mentee becoming dependent on you
 Have lots of enthusiasm

Confidentiality, ethics and safety of practice

It is imperative that confidentiality be maintained at all times. If there is an ethical or unsafe practice issue, this should
be discussed with your mentee in the first instance. It is not your role to resolve the issue. This is the responsibility of
the mentee. However, if you have ongoing concerns, these should be referred, in the first instance to the ASCA national
office.
Appendix 1: Checklist for commencing a mentoring partnership.

Prior to taking on your mentee

Pre-Mentoring Checklist Complete

Do you have time to make the mentoring commitment?

Do you understand what is required of a mentor and supervision?

Have you thought through your boundaries when it comes to mentoring

(E.g. availability, meeting times / places, etc.)

Have you developed a basic mentoring plan / structure within which you are happy to work? E.g. what
do you expect your mentee to prepare / communicate in each session? Do you want this in advance or
on the day?

Appendix 2: Mentoring Agreement Form

Mentoring Agreement Form

Mentor Name:

Mentee Name:

Our goals for this mentoring relationship are:

Our expectations of how we will achieve these goals are:

Meeting times (frequency and duration) and methods of communication:

How will we measure our progress:

Confidentiality

We agree to keep everything that is said within the mentoring relationship confidential.

Mentee Signature:

Date

Mentor Signature:

Mentee to keep the original, copy to mentor