What sort of coach are you?!?

Hey guys, so for this post I thought I would talk about coaching styles and how you can develop as a coach. For any of you who are coaches, in any sport, this may be interesting for you.

When we think of a coach we think of a leader, a person whom we look up to, a role model. But what is a coach? Who decides to be a coach? How do we become successful coaches? Well, for any coach the main thing is that you develop a philosophy, but not only developing a philosophy. You need to OWN it. The thing is anyone can coach. But successful coaches own their philosophy. They trust themselves to get the best out of their athletes. A successful coach in my opinion is one that develop's a good relationship with their athletes. They communicate and let the athletes have their say. The athlete needs to feel like their opinion is valued. I quite like the philosophy of 'Athletes first, winning second'. This focuses on the development of the athletes rather than winning at all costs. There are infinite coaching styles in the world but here's the main three:

1. Autocratic/Command Style: This style of coaching is where the coach makes all the decisions. The athletes listen, absorb and comply with what the coach says. The coach believes that they are always right and they don't value any input. This style of coaching can be compared to the army. The main problem with this style is that it may stifle motivation of their athletes. 
2. Submissive Style: This coach provides minimal instruction and guidance. They tend to lack competence, are lazy or they are misinformed about coaching. This style of coaching isn't usually seen that often as it wouldn't be regarded successful. They are simply coaching for the sake of it.
3. Co-Operative style: This coach shares the decision making with their athletes. The challenge with this style of coaching is deciding when to direct your athletes and when to let them direct themselves. This style is the most utilized style and would be seen as most effective when it comes to coaching. The athletes feel valued and they are happier in the environment in which they are training in. 

These 3 styles are not the only coaching styles, there are so many, far too many to list but these are the main ones that we refer back to. Coaching styles are open to interpretation, depending on the person who is coaching they could decide to take up a mix of the autocratic and co-operative styles to work to their advantage. 

Finally, there are three main qualities of successful coaches:

1. Knowledge of the sport: Knowledge is important for success and fun, protecting athletes from injury and frustration, and gaining credibility for teaching life skills to athletes. Coaches can acquire knowledge of the sport by playing the sport, completing coaching courses, joining a coaching association, using books and videos and also learning from other coaches.
2. Motivation: As a coach, you need to be able to motivate yourself, making time for being a successful coach. 
3. Empathy: The ability to understand and convey sensitivity to athletes. This can be done by listening to your athletes and expressing your understanding. You don't want to belittle your athletes or diminish their self-worth. Coaches who communicate respect for athletes receive respect. 

As a young coach myself, I find it important to surround myself around a variety of different coaches so that I can take as much knowledge as I can. From my first year in college I have learn so much about coaching and what it takes to be a successful coach and I am only going to learn more. If you are looking to gain more experience and knowledge coaching, then I recommend that you start reading some books, watching videos and just surrounding yourself in different environments so that you can learn more. The main thing you want to see as a coach is that your athletes are having fun and enjoying themselves. Every coach should have their main objective as striving to win. In the words of Vince Lombardi: "Winning isn't everything, but striving to win is". 

Thanks for reading guys. Feel free to share.

Talk soon, Kate.