What should you
expect from a Coach?
At the start of every season, I always think about how I
want my players and parents to view me as a coach, and what should they expect
from me throughout the season. Like all coaches, I want to serve my players to
the best of my ability and provide them with opportunities to grow and develop,
but just wanting those things is not enough. There are certain behaviors and
qualities of a coach that are required to create that type of competitive
learning environment for the players. With this in mind, there are certain
things we should all expect from coaches throughout the season.
Professionalism
This is a broad term and can mean a lot of things to a lot
of people, but I think it is important to try to define. I think of it this
way… If I having surgery, how would I expect my doctor to behave and
communicate with me in order for me to feel confident being under the doctor’s
care?
When we think of professionalism with youth coaches, I think
we should define it by how we expect a coach to behave and communicate to
entrust the players under the coach’s care. Professionalism is the foundation
of building trust with the players and parents, and it needs to be at the
forefront of what coaches think about in regards to the approach of the season.
Simple things like being on time, being dressed in proper
training gear, having a practice plan, wearing a watch, being early, having
practice set up before the players arrive are all things that I would define as
“professional.” Greeting the players as they arrive at training, saying
good-bye as they leave, and looking your players in the eye when speaking to
them are other examples.
How a coach speaks to players during a training session and
game are important as well. What is coming out of the coach’s mouth? Not
necessarily tone and inflection,
(although very important), but the content of what is being said. Is it
informational or does it lack substance? Does it inform or demean? Is it how you would expect a “professional”
to speak?
Empathy
A coach by definition must care about the players. Without
empathy for your player’s current ability level, mental and physical state, and
needs to grow and develop, there is no way for a coach to reach the players.
You must know your players in order to help them through the tough phases of
growth that require a sincere understanding of what they are going through.
When players know that the coach cares for them as an
individual and genuinely wants them to be successful, even if they disagree
with the coach, trust can be built in the player-coach relationship that is
necessary for the relationship to work. A coach who has empathy towards the
players does not ever assume anything about the players. When a kid struggles,
it is not just determined that he or she will never be good enough or just does
not have what it takes to move forward. Coaches who have empathy, take responsibility
to find a way to reach the player and help the player through struggles by
empowering the player through targeted, empathetic, coaching techniques.
Honesty
May seem obvious, but honesty is something we should expect
from a coach. Although most would agree with this on the surface, they do not
really mean it. Honesty means telling the truth to your players EVEN when it is
something they do not want to hear. Honestly from a coach can be very difficult
for a player, and parent, to hear. Often, it is not what we WANT to hear, but
it is what we NEED to hear. In the moment, it may “sting” a little and be
uncomfortable, but great coaches know it is necessary to help a player grow and
learn.
Another side of this that is not talked about a lot is honestly
from coaches about their own actions and behaviors. How often have you heard a
coach tell a player, “I was wrong” throughout the season? Probably, not very
often. Now, does that mean coaches are infallible? Of course not, coaches make
mistakes as often as the players. With that in mind, it shows an incredible
amount of professionalism and honesty when a coach can tell a player when he or
she was wrong.
As we ask the players to be able handle honest feedback from
coaches, coaches need to be able to handle honest feedback from their players,
parents, and themselves.
Knowledge &
Information
I have not worked with a player who does not want to learn.
Players expect and want coaches to teach them throughout the year. During training and games, the players want
and need information that can help them learn, develop, and continuously
perform at a higher level. Players want to be better! They need the information
to be better.
Corrections during training and games need to contain that
information. Too often it does not. It is either more of a command (MOVE! GET
OPEN!) or a sarcastic question (What was that?!). Although commonly heard, what
information can the player take from those statements? More importantly, how
does saying that make the player better?
When coaches provide insight and key points and ideas about
how to play the game, and the players can see that it helps their level of
play, players become even more receptive to the information. When coaches say
players have “shut down,” I often think about why a player would do that. I
feel players “shut down” when they feel the information coming to them is not
helping them improve so it is not longer worth the effort of trying to
understand or apply it.
Demonstration
Although a coach’s ability to demonstrate may vary due to
their playing experience and level, I do think this is a key element of
effective coaching. Being able to show your players how to perform a skill or
do what is being asked, paints a better picture than trying to describe it with
words. I think players appreciate their
coach trying to demonstrate what is being asked. Even if it is not the best
example, it shows the players two things: 1) The coach is engaged and fully
committed to trying to help them understand the concept being taught. 2) When
the coach does not do it perfectly, it gives the players permission, without
saying it, that it is ok to make mistakes.
Many coaches are nervous to demonstrate in fear of making a
mistake or not painting a good picture. What kind of message does that send to
the kids? Aren’t we asking them to do the same thing at training? In order to
get better, coaches are consistently asking players to do things outside their
current level, and in doing so, are putting them in a situation where they will
struggle and fail at times. One of the
best things, we can do as coaches is to physically show the players that it is
OK by our willingness to try.
Push
If you do not want your coach to push you, than you should
probably not play sports. One of the
driving goals of all coaches is to PUSH kids out of their comfort zone and ask
them to do more than they thought possible. It is one of a coach’s primary
responsibilities. You should never expect your coach to allow a player to just
be satisfied what they can currently do.
We all need that push and shove some time to move us past
the friction of fear of failing or complacency’s glue. Every day at training
and in games, coaches should be expected to help their players demand more from
themselves and never be satisfied.
Great competitors want to be challenged. Not just by an
opponent, but by those who are entrusted to teach and mentor them. They do not
want to be handled with velvet gloves and feed off the excitement of the push
from a coach.
Safety
The “Push” only works when players feel safe. When players
know coaches care about their best interest and they know they will never be
put in a situation that is dangerous, physically or mentally, the player is
more likely to respond and benefit from the “push” of a coach.
When players fear being ridiculed or humiliated, they are
much less likely to put themselves “out there” and try to reach beyond their
current limits. Reaching beyond your limits makes you more susceptible to
mistakes, so for a player in an unsafe environment, the risk outweighs the
reward. If a player does not feel a
coach cares about his physical state, the player is much less likely to give
his all on another sprint or work as hard during training with the fear of the
amount of fitness punishment is coming at the end.
Like all of us, players are going to perform better and
enjoy playing the game in an environment that they feel is safe. That does not
mean the environment is not challenging or hard. It just means that the
well-being of the player is always the primary concern in every action taken
and word spoken by the coach.
There are an endless number of things we should expect from
a coach throughout the season. The list is never ending and should always be
evolving. With each team being a little different, every player a little
different, every situation a little different, a coach should constantly be
evaluating what he needs to do best serve his players. It constantly changes,
but there are always a few underlying principles that coaches place at the
foundation of their approach.
