Role of Coaches in Athlete’s Success
Coaches are figures athletes look up to for guidance all through their careers either as rookies or seasoned professionals. Hence coaches are a major stakeholder in the success of athletes.
Different styles of coaching affect athletes differently. Traditional and uptight styles of coaching are fast becoming ineffective as they do not give athlete the opportunity to discover themselves. Autonomous style have proven to be more effective; a style of coaching where athletes are allowed to discover creative approach to giving their best performance.
Coaches are like parents of athletes outside the home. It’s a delicate leadership position that needs to be handled with intention.
This article examines the various roles you play as a coach in the success–or failure–of an athlete. But let’s begin with the primary aim of coaching.
Primary Aim of Coaching
Coaching isn’t just guiding athletes to be the best in their endeavor but also to be their best selves off the pitch.
Sport is often associated with positive experiences such as being a good way to exercise the body and stay fit. But it can also have its negatives. Sorting activities can lead to burnout and stress.
In some more serious cases, it can lead to anxiety and depression for some athletes.
According to Athletes for Hope, among professional athletes, data shows up to 35% elites athletes suffer from a mental crisis which may manifest as stress, eating disorders, burnout, or depression and anxiety.
So, here are roles coaches play in the careers of athletes
Skill development
As a coach, you play a crucial role in helping athletes harness their skills and get better at it. This is the basis that form the foundation of their ability so it has to be handled with professionalism.
By skill development, you help athletes meet the physical and tactical demands of competitions.
Strategic guidance
As a coach, you are responsible for creating game plans and tailoring them to the strength of your athlete.
Helping them understand the strength of their competition and knowing what weaknesses they need to capitalise on is crucial. This can go a long way to help them perform their best in competitions.
Mentorship and motivation
Your role as a coach goes beyond training your athlete to stay ahead of their competition.
They have to be in the best headspace first before they can give their best in their career. And that means you have to be ready to support them in that regard too.
Sometimes, they are not in the best of moods to carry out their supporting activities such as training or other tasks. As a coach, it is part of your responsibility to be a support and motivation source for them in this case.
Performance analysis
One of the ways an athlete can understand how well they’re performing is if there is a metric to measure their performance.
It’s in your place as a coach to help them identify their weaknesses and produce constructive feedback on what they need to improve upon.
Mental conditioning
Sports come with pressure and expectations, and if not managed properly, can lead to mental breakdown. You have a role to play in helping your athlete to build mental toughness they’ll need to be their best in their career.
However, their morale can still take a downward spiral. But helping them stay confident in highly tensed situation can go a long way in building a winning mindset.
Leadership development
Your athlete learn faster from you when they see you practice what you preach. As a coach, remember to always lead by example. This means your communication and behavior towards them or other people should reflect your values.
Helping athletes cultivate life skills beyond the pitch is an essential part of coaching. Also, create a comfortable environment for them to share whatever challenge they might be encountering with you.
Goal setting
Great coaches help their athletes create long term and short term goals, providing a roadmap for progress. Attaining every goal set for them builds a new level of confidence which will come in handy in order spheres of their career.
Also, you can offer useful advice on their career, or guide them in the critical decision making process.
Team communication
Fostering good communication among the team is one of your responsibilities as a coach. Treat all athletes the same way and give them the same level of attention.
This will improve the relationship among themselves, and ultimately the winning power of the team.
Character molding
You’re partly responsible for your athlete’s personal development. Every session you have with them is an opportunity to instill values such as discipline, sportsmanship, resilience, self mastery, and so on.
These qualities are not only useful in the sporting world but also in other spheres of their lives.
Roles You Play as a Coach
Now let’s talk about the role you play in determining the success of your athlete as a coach.
Advising athletes
Your athlete looks up to you for career advise as their niche be relatively new to them. Even seasoned athletes need advise or guidance at some point in their career. As a coach, one of the vital roles you play in ensuring your athlete’s success is offering them your experience and advise. These will go a long way in shaping the decision your athlete makes towards attaining success.
Introducing new tactics
Watching other teams play, most likely your opponents, will reveal tactics you haven’t otherwise thought of. Introducing new strategies in your training routine with your athlete will switch things up for them. Although, this comes after you have assessed the abilities of your athlete, and are fully aware of their strength. Then tailoring the strategy to fit into their personality or ability.
Being a role model
Your athlete see you as a role model if they don’t tell you. Therefore, they model your behavior subconsciously. But first, they start by watching your behavior; how you handle stress, an uncomfortable situation, a challenge, or a defeat. They pick these little details and inculcate them into their lifestyle.
Now, seeing how much your life influences your athlete’s, you are saddled with the responsibility of living by your principles and what you preach. These are ingredients that determine your athlete’s success.
Teaching safety awareness
Safety is one of the most important lessons in sport. And as a coach, it is your responsibility to make your athlete become aware of the risk of injury they stand if they don’t abide by the safety precautions of their sport. Only a healthy athlete can take part in training or competition.
Have a stand-up session with them where you explain these precautions to them. And ensure they have their safety equipment before they engage in any sport activities. Overtime, you won’t have to repeat this every time anymore.
Offering lifestyle advise
Helping your athlete cultivate good lifestyle habits can go a long way in determining how successful they will become. Teach them on the need to wake up early and have a quiet time alone. A time for meditation, introspection, mindfulness.
Other lifestyle advice such as getting good sleep, having personal training routines, building a good relationship with their peers will be useful in helping them reach that success you have both dreamt of.
To Wrap It Up
Coaching doesn’t end with training athletes to be their best selves in a competition. It is a holistic job of harnessing the skills, nurturing of their talent, and molding their character on and off the field.
Are you a coach looking to work with a team of athletes? You can find lots of them on Sportconn. It’s a platform that allows all sports professionals to create a profile and get more opportunities that can transcend their careers to the next level.