10 Skills To Make A Good Sports Coach

I have been lucky enough to coach a few junior teams across 4 sports over the past few years including rugby, football, hockey and cricket. The teams I have coached have varied in abilities from club to county level. But as a coach there are basics that should be addressed before every session to ensure you are best prepared and your players can get the most from the sessions planned. Here are 10 skills a good sports coach should think about before any coaching session

1 - As The Coach Your Players Don’t Expect You To Be The Best Player.

There are many top level coaches that haven’t played at the highest level of their sport. That doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified to coach though. Jose Mourinho played 94 games at a good level in Portugal but, was never a prolific player. However, he has become one of, if not the best club manager in the world. Apart from education by working under other top managers, he has passion for the game and a drive to improve his group of players. A club coach should also be passionate about improving his/her players. If you don’t have this I believe you won’t be able to give effective coaching

2 - Good Coaches Let Your Players Have An Opinion And Be Heard.

No matter what level you coach, you will need to listen to your players. They want to improve so ask them what areas they are looking to work on. You may have a fixed goal for the team as a whole but each player has an individual need. So, give them a voice and listen to it, some of the best coaching ideas come from your players

3 - Good Coaches Are Will To Change An Learn, Are You?

Ask yourself - How many players come back week after week? Do you have a waiting list for players? If you find your squad numbers are going down through the season, it may be your sessions aren’t engaging enough. So take note, it is a good sign that you are doing ok as a coach, if the players keep coming back.

4 - Good Coaches Plan Session But Need To Be Flexible.

A good coach is a prepared coach but the best coach can adapt when things are working better than planned or when they might not be and need changing. Never turn up to a coaching session and try to wing it, as the players will know and most of the time failing to plan is a sure sign you plan to fail. If a drill isn’t working - can you adapt and change to plan B or plan C?

5 - Remember You Are Coaching Youth Players’ Not Elite Players.

The goal of a youth player is going to be different to the elite sports player. If a young player makes a mistake, be patient. Try to work out a way to build confidence through skill development and repetition. Don’t push the player too fast, ensure they have the basic skill set before coaching specific skills. In football let them kick the ball around the pitch before coaching how to kick. Hockey players should be allowed to let them play with a stick and ball before coaching stick skills. In cricket it may need some thought on how to start with young players but let them play. In rugby let them kick the ball and pass as soon as you can. They may already have some skills that can be developed naturally rather than coaching by text book.

6 - A Good Sports Coach Should Wait Before Heaping Praise On A Player Too Early In A Session.

If your player actions a skill well, a quick word of praise can give them a huge boost. However, be careful to what level of praise you give. I quite often wait for a few rounds of one drill before offering feedback. A great skill to have as a coach is to observe rather than comment sometimes. If your player did something well and you say ‘that was brilliant’ where do you go from there? By all means give praise but be specific about what they did well. Rather than say ‘that was brilliant’ you could temper it slightly by saying ‘ I thought was the best pass you have done today, well done’. The player then knows what they did well. But you also have room for further praise should they do better.

7 - Coaches Should Smile – Remember It’s Supposed To Be Fun.

I know quite a few coaches who shout and frown during sessions and forget why they coach. Some sessions are challenging but if you have an extensive collection of drills, games and activities then you should be able to adapt. A frown or scowl serves no purpose. To fully engage with your players and parents watching on the side, it is far better to see a smile. Indeed if we hear a laugh during training, we know the atmosphere is far more attractive

8 - It’s Not About The Coaches Ego, It’s About The Player.

It is absolutely vital you set the level of coaching to the level of player you are coaching. If you coach a variety of teams then the plan will need to change to ensure the players remain engaged and challenged. A good coach has to be player centred and not self centred. If your session is planned to make you feel good the player will feel they are missing out and their enthusiasm is likely to drop off quite quickly

9 - Good Sportsmanship Starts With The Coach.

When you are in a match or competition, your club will insist that your players abide by their good sportsmanship guide. However, this starts with the coach. Speak with umpires, referees and opposing teams coaches before you play and be welcoming and friendly. A win at all costs culture is a bad culture and players become negative to other players needs. A team that plays well and can learn to lose is an important life skill. It allows them to be able to learn to enjoy the wins even more, when they finally come around.

10 - A Good Sports Coach Should Get Feedback From As Many People As They Can.

At the end of every session or game, I encourage every coach to get feedback from your players. You quickly find out what they are thinking and how you can use this information for the next session. Don’t be critical during the debrief, look for positives. I worked with a coach once who, too often focused on what went wrong. Rather than trying to highlight what the player or team had done well. His attitude was poor even if the team had won the game, the mood in the team might go down. As players were often told what they could have done better, rather than what they did really well.

Try to engage with other coaches and parents too. Getting parents feedback is almost as important to get an understanding of players needs. Work closely with other coaches as this ensures the message is the same. Try not to have a good cop – bad cop scenario within your team set up. Just because you walk round with a coaches tactic folder, doesn't mean your are a great coach. However, if you can identify your weaknesses, you are on the road to becoming a good coach.

Do you have any good tips for coaches to follow? If so leave a comment below.

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