CoachEd Newsletter  

  June Coaching Newsletter 

Coach Education Round Up!

Recognising the capacity challenges many clubs face, our Athletix recreational athletics programme for children aged 4–12, introduces running, jumping and throwing through fun, engaging activities. The programme is also designed to widen the coaching base and bring more support into club sessions. Quote from the AA who became a CA ...Athletix  ****EMAIL SENT 27/5/2028

The coaching pathway continues to expand, with a CiRF Fell, Hill, Mountain and Trail award being piloted this summer alongside the development of a new Athletics Coach Combined Events Event Group, bringing multi-discipline coaching into one programme.

The Advanced Coach (Talent) pilot is adopting a more flexible and personalised approach, focusing on reflection, experience and evidence rather than workshop hours. With webinars planned for the Summer for the existing cohort things are progressing well and early feedback has been extremely positive, and there are plans to expand this model further.

Our brand-new Learning Hub will soon provide coaches with a single platform to manage bookings, learning, qualification progress, DBS, licensing and digital coach credentials. Following testing this summer, the Hub is expected to launch later in the season.

Alongside these national developments, we continue to deliver local learning opportunities and coach support, such as the Racewalking, Mountain Running and Steeplechase Sessions and Colin Jackson Hurdles Masterclass all helping create a pathway that is more flexible, inclusive and aligned to the needs of the modern sport.

Celebrating Our New Leaders and Coaches

Since our last newsletter (1st March) we have delivered 9 LiRF courses with over 100 new leaders taking their first steps on their leading journey, this includes our Online LiRF and the Face to Face (in person) LiRF course. With a tremendous start to the coaching calendar we look forward to delivering an 'In House' LiRF course for Conwy Local Authority staff, further supporting the expansion of social running across the regions.  If your club or local authority wishes to ​explore 'In House courses please contact Education@welshathletics.org

We have also had a lot of success with our Guide Running Workshop,.  We have delivered courses in both St.Cyres (Penarth) and Coleg Cambria (Deeside). Attendees got to learn what it was like being a visually impaired runner and given tips for operating safely whilst guide running and how to make your running sessions VI friendly. Again we are also returning to North Wales to deliver an In House GRW in the coming weeks to further cement our commitment to inclusivity across our sport..

In the last 12 weeks we have also seen four successful Coaching Assistant courses delivered across Wales. From Swansea, Deeside (x2), and Cardiff aspiring coaches got a taste for track coaching. They learnt the basics of movement and were given an introduction to a variety of athletics events.

With an exciting summer of athletics ahead, now is the perfect opportunity to encourage others within your club or community to get involved in coaching. Whether you know someone interested in becoming a Run Leader or Coaching Assistant, or you’re looking to continue your own coaching development, our upcoming courses offer something for everyone. Click the link below to explore upcoming coaching and development opportunities.

Artificial Intelligence & Coaching!

In track and field, every millisecond, centimetre, and metre counts. From shaving fractions off PBs, perfecting a perfect jump or turning strength into distance with every throw, progress can change in an instant. Today, data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and technology are becoming just as crucial as the stopwatch and tape measure, helping coaches optimise performance across every event group while supporting athletes to progress, recover sufficiently and help minimise the risk of injury or missed training sessions.

Coaches are now turning to digital tools to track performance, analyse movement, and manage training loads with greater precision than ever before. Platforms like TrainingPeaks   are leading the way, helping coaches monitor pace, heart rate, and workload to optimise performance while minimising injury risk.

For coaches who want deeper insights, apps such as ATHLIN  and Intervals.icu provide detailed analysis of training trends and recovery, helping to balance speed, endurance, and rest throughout the season. Meanwhile, in technical events like sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws, video analysis tools like Hudl  and CoachEye are invaluable. They allow coaches to break down movement frame by frame, making it easier to refine technique and identify small adjustments that can make a big difference in performance.

Strength and conditioning apps like TeamBuildr and Train Heroic  also play an important role in off-track development, helping coaches manage gym work and build power safely. Alongside these, platforms like Strava support endurance training and athlete motivation. Ultimately, the most effective coaching setups combine several tools to give a complete picture of progress—something our coaches continue to embrace as they look for smarter, more engaging ways to support athlete development.

While platforms like TrainingPeaks and Hudl focus on performance and coaching, tools such as TIP Athletic  offer something different. Rather than tracking training or analysing technique, TIP Athletics supports the wider athlete journey by helping individuals build their profile, connect with supporters, and access financial backing. While it doesn’t replace traditional coaching apps, it complements them by adding a new dimension to athlete development beyond performance alone.

AI and technology are changing the way we coach and support athletes across our sport, from tracking performance data to analysing technique and managing training loads. But behind every tool is a real experience. Recent trials with TIP Athletic in-house and other AI interventions are showing promising results.

AI can also assist into formulating coach feedback into a concise and understandable format for the athlete). For example one can use  AI Meeting Coach  which is an ‘AI co-pilot’, which transforms meetings, emails, and messages into summaries, insights and instant answers on every device, wherever you work. An AI meeting coach analyses engagement, sentiment, and speaking patterns to show you how your communication actually lands.

There is no substitute for great coaching. Technology and AI can support decision-making and provide additional insights, but it is coaches who continue to play the central role in helping athletes develop, perform and thrive within our sport.

We want to hear from you, how are you using AI or technology in your coaching or as an athlete? What’s worked well, and what hasn’t? Has it changed the way you train, plan, or communicate? Share your story AI Feedback and be part of the conversation, your insight could help shape the future of coaching.

Useful Coaching & Athlete Development Resources

Below are several useful websites and platforms that may support coaches, leaders, athletes, and parents involved in sport and athletics.

ICOACHKIDS is a global non-profit movement focused on helping children get the most positive experience from sport. The platform provides coaches with access to online training, workshops, conferences, and practical resources to help create engaging and supportive environments for young athletes.

A wide range of activity ideas and coaching resources are also available through the ICOACHKIDS resource library.

The Athlete Place is an online guidance platform designed to support aspiring athletes across all sports and abilities. Covering over 100 topics linked to performance, wellbeing, and lifestyle, the platform includes expert advice and research-led resources and includes dedicated sections for Junior & Senior athletes and parent alike.

The Youth Sport Trust is the UK’s leading children’s charity focused on improving young people’s education and development through play and sport. The organisation supports schools, educators, coaches, and communities by delivering inclusive sport programmes, providing practical tools and resources. Plus it supports the development and wellbeing of young people through physical activity

These platforms offer valuable support, ideas, and educational resources to help coaches create positive, engaging, and athlete-centred sporting environments.

Also why not take a look at the resources available to all out=r coaches on Athletics hub by clicking the link below! 

Psychological Input = Successful Output

Most athletes spend years perfecting their physical skills — strength, speed, technique, endurance. Yet when pressure hits, injury strikes, or progress stalls, physical ability alone is rarely enough. What often separates those who thrive from those who fade is psychological skill: the ability to stay focused, resilient, organised, and committed through challenge. This is where the Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs) come in.

The Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence (PCDEs), developed through the work of former UK Athletics Performance Director Dave Collins and colleagues, highlight the key psychological skills that underpin long-term athlete development and performance. These include commitment to long-term goals, confidence, self-awareness, effective coping skills, focus and distraction control, realistic performance evaluation, quality practice habits, organisation and time management, imagery skills, and the ability to seek and use social support effectively. Together, these characteristics help athletes build resilience, navigate challenge, and maximise their potential both in sport and beyond.

The Biopsychosocial approach recognises that performance, wellbeing, and development are shaped by a combination of physical, psychological, and social factors. In athletics, this means seeing the athlete as a whole person and not just focusing on training and competition, but also their mindset, environment, relationships, recovery, and lifestyle.

For coaches, these ideas provide a practical lens to support day-to-day coaching decisions, helping to balance challenge with support and create environments that develop both performance and wellbeing. Further insight into these concepts can be found in the applied work and accessible resources produced by Dave Collins, which translate these principles into real coaching and performance settings.

Study Shows Attitude Makes a Champion  is  a readable feature exploring how athletes respond to challenge and adversity on the pathway to success.

Does Talent Need Trauma To Succeed is a podcast feature with Dave Collins discussing resilience, setbacks, and long-term athlete development in high-performance sport.

Clean Sport & Anti-Doping Awareness for Coaches

As coaches and LiRF leaders, it is important that we stay informed about anti-doping rules and help athletes understand their responsibilities in maintaining a clean and fair sporting environment.

Anti-doping regulations apply to all athletes at every level, not just elite performers. Athletes are ultimately responsible for any prohibited substance found in their system, even if there was no intention to bypass regulations.

Early education and awareness can help protect athletes and promote a healthy, competitive sporting culture across athletics in Wales.

Key Message

“Your Body, Your Responsibility”
Athletes should always know what they are taking and check that any medication or supplement is safe and permitted.

Helpful Resources

• Welsh Athletics Clean Sport
  Guidance, education, and anti-doping information for athletes and coaches.
• UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)
  Official anti-doping advice, rules, and educational resources.
• Global DRO
  Check whether prescribed or over-the-counter medications are permitted in sport.
• Informed Sport
  Batch-tested supplement information to help reduce the risk of contamination.
• UK Athletics Supplements Position Statement
  UKA guidance on the risks associated with supplements.

As a Coach or LiRF leader, supporting your athletes with the right information helps ensure everyone can enjoy sport in a safe, fair, and clean environment.

Female Running Conference 2026

On Saturday 18 April, Welsh Athletics hosted the second Women’s Running Conference at the University of South Wales Newport Campus.  Hosted by Lowri Morgan, the event featured keynote speaker Tanni Grey-Thompson alongside expert panels, workshops, and practical sessions covering topics including resilience, menstrual health, menopause, nutrition, recovery, and strength & conditioning. It was great to see many Coaches and LiRF Leaders enjoying discussions and the many workshops on offer.   

Following the success and overwhelmingly positive feedback from the Newport event, Welsh Athletics is excited to bring the Women’s Running Conference to North Wales in the coming months. Building on the inspiring conversations, expert insight, and strong sense of community created from Newport, the next conference promises even more opportunities for runners, coaches, and leaders to learn, connect, and be empowered. Dates and details will be announced soon across our social channels and we encourage everyone with a passion for women’s running and wellbeing to be part of it.

Beyond The Track

Dive into the world of Welsh Athletics with our weekly Beyond The Track Podcast, hosted by James Thie and Jenny Nesbitt. From competition previews and event roundups to inspiring athlete stories and interviews with coaches and athletes, the podcast covers all things athletics in Wales and beyond. Hear from stars like Jeremiah Azu and Colin Jackson, alongside insights from leading coaches and performance directors.

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, so tune in for your weekly dose of motivation, insider knowledge, and the passion behind the sport.

Do you have a story, insight, or experience from your coaching journey you’d like to share? If you would like to be part of our next edition. please click the form below to submit your story and inspire the athletics community. We'd love to hear from you!