Tip of the Month - July 2022
Essential Characteristics and Attributes of Good Sport Coaches
Recently in my research, I came across an article by Swim scientist, Dr. G. John Mullen. While the focus addresses swim coaches, I found that the general content is applicable to sport coaches at large, and I modified the article accordingly.
There is the lack of understanding in society of the work of sport coaches in Amateur sports versus professional sports. Coaches are by no means supreme beings, but specific characteristics and attributes are common among elite coaches. Although they are no different from the rest of society they are however professionals striving to obtain the best possible performance from their athletes, wanting them to succeed and win above all else because that is the demand and expectation of their job. They aspire to success like everyone else, experience and suffer the same feelings as other professionals when things fail to go their way.
If we were to think about and carefully analyze the skills employed and tasks undertaken by coaches on a daily basis, we would no doubt be surprised. Being a coach is not easy, demanding passion, leadership, and sacrifice, as well as specific knowledge of the sport, and the patience and strength necessary to achieve goals.
The educational and training aspects of their work require them to study and stay up-to-date regarding new trends in physical, technical and tactical knowledge of training, as well as have the courage to apply them. This however is often difficult due to the time involved in preparation, training, administration, and competition events on weekends. Subsequently, time is restricted when trying to seek additional education. Furthermore, coaching symposiums offered prior to the upstart of the annual season tend to be expensive when considering air travel, lodging, meals, and course registration. It makes it unaffordable unless coaches have a budget or clubs provide financial assistance.
Coaches need to be competent, have clear ideas, be good communicators, and have the ability to convey their knowledge in a confident and assertive way. They have to be capable of demonstrating serenity and calm at special times, and have the ability to channel their emotions. They have to be leaders at all times. They have to set reasonable and ambitious goals, portray the impression of having everything under control, inspire trust and confidence in that what they say is going to happen, and is indeed going to happen.
The above functions are inherent qualities of good coaches, but they are not the only ones. There are, some attributes that are more important than others as provided here:
Characteristics #1: Being Technical
Coaches are ultimately responsible for the athletic training of each athlete. They have to plan, guide, supervise, control, and assess the correct preparation of each athlete. In order to do so they have to plan the annual season prior to the start-up and draw up a flexible action plan, the correct path so that all athlete are responsible for obtaining the best results at the most important championship events. This involves setting individual as well as collective targets, depending on the characteristics of the group, specifically the skill level and age of each individual athlete. They have to choose a planning model that considers the distance and style to swim, for example, or playing the most suitable position in team sports in order to achieve optimum performance.
Characteristics #2: Be Psychological and Motivating
Coaches have to seek and provide the right incentives for inspiring passion and improving performance in their athletes. In order to be successful they have to guide, advise and steer their athletes towards achieving their goals. They need to demonstrate an open and warm attitude when dealing with athletes directly and find the right incentives for reaching set targets or goals. Times have changed and athletes look for a coach, who understands them, stimulates them, motivates them during bad moments, and helps to steer them to success. They are desperate for someone, who listens to them and pays them the necessary attention, someone who looks after their well-being, gives them positive strength, considers and values their opinion and input. They expect and value their support at difficult times when everything seems lost and their training becomes more difficult. They require a fair and balanced professional when making decisions, one who is open to dialogue and doesn’t try to impose their ideas at all cost.
Coaches should always be fair, frank but sincere, and be ready to provide the required confidence and security.
Characteristics #3: Education
Coaches as trainers and mentors often act as confidants and friends due to the influence of their actions on the personal development of their athletes. They set an example for athletes, and are responsible for transmitting and enforcing rules and behavioural values both in and out of the sporting arena. Their attitude should reflect their obligation, inspire by example, and demonstrate honesty, education, and respect for the rules of conduct in order to obtain the appreciation and consideration of their athletes.
Characteristics #4: Being Strategic
Correcting minor technical flaws that are preventing increased efficiency, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, and discovering the necessary strategies used by rivals in competition is essential to gather and then provide the information to athletes in order to face competitors or opposition with an increased guarantee for success. These skills are important because they can make all the difference between winning and losing.
Coaches should have full control over these details because they help them detect mistakes made by competitors or rivals to develop a suitable attack or defensive strategy in team sports or racing tactics in athletics or swimming. To some extent, a coach is a builder of dreams, who needs to ensure that their own initial project becomes a work of ‘art.’ Therefore, they need to be smart, original and creative in the way they work. The coach has to be realistic and practical with personal limitations, meticulous over little details, and possess the emotional intelligence necessary for the job.
Reference:
Artiles, A. (2018, May 29). Blog/Training. G.John Mullen, Swimming Science. Retrieved July 25, 2022 from https://www.swimmingscience.net/4-essential-swim-coach-characteristics-and- attributes/