The Critical Role of a Coach

Sports figures are predominantly in our lives one way or another. We are either indulging in it, or managing it, or following it, or watching it or reading about it. Sportsperson are omnipresent in our lives. But how many of us have given as much thought, if any, to the coaches who create these sportsperson and manage them in every-which-way? A coach's role is very critical to every sportsperson in our society. I want to share with you in this article my philosophy on the role of sports and coaches.

My belief is that sports can be used as a medium to give lessons to sportsperson (particularly the younger ones) about life. Lessons so learnt can and should be transferred to other areas of our lives so that we all become more effective and meaningful contributors to society. As such, the role of the coach should not be restricted to teaching the technicalities of a particular sporting discipline, but also help athletes learn lessons on life. We do not need to formulate a curriculum as long as the athletes are learning.

I believe a coach's success in sport depends on the emotional bond he manages to build with his athletes. Effective relationships are built on the foundations of trust and respect. This takes time, particularly trust. Therefore, it is imperative for coaches to completely understand their athletes. What makes them tick? When an athlete realizes that you want to learn more about him, he feels valued. When he feels valued he contributes more. It is the same for all of us. When we feel valued we give off our best more often.

We can make athletes feel valued by understanding them, their strengths, their limitations, motivations and other needs. Not every human being is the same. As a natural corollary, no athlete is the same. Nor are their requirements the same. Therefore, every athlete requires to be coached in a particular way. When coaches understand how they coach they are in a position to coach in different ways. Every coach has the ability to adopt a different style if they choose. Before any coach can understand their athletes they are to first understand themselves. We all have our unique personality and these impacts the predominant way we coach.

I would like to encourage all coaches to recognize the critical role they play. Sport is not just about sport. It is about life and the skills required for making meaningful contributions to society. Build wonderful relationships with your athletes, specially the younger ones. They need and deserve wonderful coaches. Find time to understand them and their unique requirements. Ask yourself - what are you inspiring your athletes to achieve in their lives?