Coaching – More Than X’s and O’s

The technical and tactical part of coaching is the easy part. For some reason coaches early in their career tend to focus on these areas to the exclusion of all else. Just as we want to develop and build complete athletes we must be complete coaches. Being a complete coach means attending to all elements of the job. The administrative aspect of coaching is the most onerous, but in many ways most important. You must master it and master it early. You can’t compete in the track meet if you were so disorganized you forgot to order the bus. Communication skills or lack thereof can be the coaches undoing. Ability to communicate with the athlete is obvious, but communication with other professionals and your colleagues is just as important. Talk less, listen more, respect those who have opened the doors for you. My advice is to take a step back and look at where you are and do a thorough assessment of your entire skill set and abilities. Above all make sure you have a balance, don’t forget your family and relationships. There is life outside of coaching; I know it took me too many years to figure that out.