You know the old saying about the best-laid plans… they “often go awry”. And that is certainly the case with Covid-19 and sport. The global pandemic has changed just about everything we understand as normal practice and procedure.
So we need to think differently about everything we do. But that doesn’t mean we need to invent new things to navigate through the sport system. We can use most of the things that are already at our disposal and be creative and flexible.
Same tools; different applications.
Many of APEX Global Sport Group’s clients have been checking in with us and asking for advice on how to adjust and adapt their programs. We talk through the issues and go back to the APEX365 Model © (also, see our website www.apex-gsg.com/our-approach).
We won’t go into every element of the APEX365 Model but think about a few of the 6 Critical Success Factors and the 5 Pillars of Performance.
Training and Coaching - use some of the many video services for remote coaching currently available. They can also be used for education and on-going professional development of coaches and support staff,
Team dynamics – use regular video-conferencing to maintain a sense of togetherness and unity… don’t underestimate the deep psychological impact this is having on athletes, coaches and support staff,
Planning – Get a few small groups together as Working Groups to think through some Strategic Planning options. Now probably isn’t the time to try to re-build a full strategic plan … but if you can think through some options for the immediate future, brainstorm and scenario build, you will have a head start for when things start to return to “normality”,
People – Your organization’s most important asset! As we said above, this is a very stressful world event that EVERYONE is dealing with. Don’t underestimate the impact this is having on everyone in your organization. Encourage conversations about the impact, and engage people in positive planning discussions. Help people to talk about the positives more than the negatives,
Recovery – Of course, athletes can’t train as much as they have been in the past and competition is completely stopped. So this is a perfect opportunity to take care of injuries and work on individual physical and mental recovery strategies.
Governance and Management – This is also a time when staff can review policies and practices and think about the implications of Covid-19 on future policies.
We are working with our clients to be active and pro-active rather than go into hibernation until this is over.
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