What do you coach?

Do you coach Track & Field, Football, Basketball or Swimming? Yes you do but more importantly you coach the people who compete in those sports. The human element transcends all. Anyone can learn the techniques and strategies, but to be truly effective as a coach you must coach the person. Know what makes your athletes tick. Take an interest in them as people, they are not machines, they have feeling and emotions, they have lives outside of sport. I think of the great coaches I have been privileged to be around, this is a characteristic they all shared. They were emotionally intelligent; they took the time to understand their athletes as people and coached the person who did the sport. At the end of the day I always ask myself did you coach today the way you would have wanted to be coached?