Developing young athletes: Jonah Barrington

“Kids are brittle and fickle”

Jonah Barrington, squash legend. I worked with Jonah for 5 years when I was Head of Athletic Development at Millfield school.

He was always a great sounding board on things to do with coaching, squash and life.

He gave a heartfelt presentation to all of the coaches at the school, and I have just uncovered the notes I took. Here are some of his insights:

Growing Up

Jonah was born in a small village in Cornwall. There were no organised activities, so the kids sorted themselves out.

He then went to a small school in Ireland from ages 5-9,. There he had one good teacher (with whom he is still in contact 60+ years later) who got the best out of the youngsters.

Jonah then moved to a private school in England which was a disaster.He was small and nervous playing rugby, but forced into it. He never played again.Jonah uses this experience to help identify with young kids who may falter at the first opportunity.

It is important that coaches recognise this and provide further opportunities for success.

“Adults too often impose adult thinking/ training on children. We always need to be conscious we are dealing with young people.“

Build confidence in youngsters

Jonah used Kevin Pietersen as an example of a senior International player who has publicly lost confidence.

If it happens to adults of his ability, then it must happen to children: even faster, even more often.

“We need to build it up.”

Jonah loves his sport, and he tries to impart this passion and enthusiasm to the youngsters.

“Kindness is a part of it. It is important that you like young people.”

(Compare that to a 21 year old coach who told me hated kids, but coached them because “that’s where the money is”!)

Coaching Integrity

Jonah stressed that coaches need to be seen to be fair. They provide fun and enjoyment. However, there is a correlation between fun and discipline. But, “sport is not the classroom, so it shouldn’t be an extension of the classroom.”

Kids do respond to being organised: otherwise you have mayhem!. Sport does involvbe winning or losing.

“By nurturing the kids and their competitive instincts, we can provide a supportive and enjoyable journey for all.”

I really enjoyed working with Jonah, we could have an open, frank (and sometimes heated) discussion about what we were doing. We both knew that we had the kids’ best interests at heart. One of the reasons why he has been successful as a coach.

• Fitness training for squash
• Playing squash in the USA