Coaching for Efficiency – or How to Keep Calm While Shaping Chaos

The WBBC coaching team joined forces with our friends from Plimmerton Boating Club for a Coaching for Efficiency workshop, run by James Hardaker, NZ High Performance Dive Coach, who generously shared 22 years of wisdom (and an admirable level of patience).

Thirty coaches in one room; what could possibly go wrong?

Thankfully, not much. Instead, we found ourselves knee-deep in the art and craft of coaching: the 5 Ps — Professionalism, Punctuality, Preparedness, Passion, and Positivity (because apparently Perpetually Panicked didn’t make the cut), plus a good look at how our words, actions, and club values all tie together in shaping how we show up for our sailors.

James introduced the idea of athlete-centred coaching — a philosophy that puts the sailor right in the middle of every decision. It sounds simple until you realise how often we talk about sailors instead of with them. His challenge? Cut the fluff. Drop the filler words; “try,” “but,” “like”,  "this" and replace them with clear, direct, meaningful statements. Our clever coaches met the challenge and shifted their words, now to put them into practice - on the water where it counts.

One of the best moments came when our group flipped the script and surprised James (in a

good way ) by talking about how we check in on our young sailors’ headspace before hitting the water. Turns out, we’re not just teaching tacking and gybing; we’re quietly moonlighting as sports psychologists. Warm-ups, it seems, can tell you a lot more about a sailor than how flexible they are.

It was brilliant to see parent coaches and senior volunteer coaches shoulder-to-shoulder with our younger groms; proof that experience and enthusiasm can, in fact, coexist. Sharing the space with Plimmerton was another highlight, swapping stories, comparing notes, and giving each other that unspoken “yep, I’ve been there too” look that only coaches truly understand.

This workshop is the first of many chances for our coaching team, from the seasoned pros to the “I’m just helping out” parents, to grow skills, share ideas, and occasionally give the experts something new to think about.

Feedback ranged from “a great reminder of the professionalism behind coaching” to “wow, that was a lot to take in.” Both fair. Both accurate.

Next time you’re at the club during a squad session, lean in and have a listen. You might just catch the sound of something pretty special taking shape, a coaching culture built on connection, purpose, and the sprinkling of the Worser Bay Way.