Coaching a team is one of the most demanding and rewarding jobs you will ever attempt. Along the way, you will experience a wide range of emotions from exasperation to exhilaration, and everything in between. Beyond the highs and lows from game to game and season to season, you will have the opportunity to play an influential role in the development of your players, both athletically and in their “off the field” lives as well. Many of the lessons you teach your players will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
One of your most basic functions as a coach is to improve the skill level of your players. On the surface, this task is very straightforward. Your players will begin the season at a certain skill level, and under your guidance, their skill level should improve as the season progresses. If you simply set out to make each individual player better, you will find some success as a coach, but your team will be unlikely to reach its full potential.
If you desire to truly coach a team instead of a group of individuals, you should focus on improving the team as a whole, not just improving each individual player. At the beginning of the season, set goals for the team and work towards achieving those goals as a group. You will win and lose as a team, so you should set goals for the entire team too. Teaching your players to give maximum effort for the team and put the good of the group above their own individual desires are lessons that will serve them well long after their athletic careers have ended.
The role of a good coach is far more than simply organizing practices and managing games. If athletic skills and plays are the only things your players learn over the course of the season, then you will have missed a golden opportunity to truly make an impact in their lives.
Coaches fill a variety of roles in their players’ lives, acting as everything from mentor to role model to substitute parent. These roles carry significant responsibility, as your players will look to you for so much more than just athletic instruction. Younger players may look up to you as a parental figure, while older players will come to you for advice in various aspects of their lives. Most coaches cherish these roles and find them very rewarding.
In order to get the best performance out of your players both as individuals and as components of the larger team, you cannot ignore the mental aspects of the game. Many talented players will fail to reach their potential due to mental obstacles, such as poor confidence or fear of failure. A good coach will build their players up and instill confidence in them, helping them overcome any hurdles in front of them. A confident player is far more likely to succeed. Confidence in athletic competition quickly spreads to other aspects of players’ lives, building up the self-esteem and self worth with which many young people struggle.
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