The Three Fundamentals of Great Coaching
There are many characteristics of a great coach. Great coaches are great motivators, developers of talent, and leaders among many other things. However, if I had to sum up great coaching into its fundamental principles that serve as the foundation for all the other characteristics it would be these three things:
1) Great Coaches Teach Systems Not Just Techniques
First, great coaches don’t just teach techniques, they teach systems. Of course, they’re good at teaching techniques, but they don’t just teach techniques in isolation. Rather, each technique is part of a bigger picture, and the coach starts with that big picture.
This bigger picture not only explains why the technique works, but also explains when the technique will work and when it won’t. In addition, this bigger picture also explains how opponents will likely react to a technique and what techniques to use to respond to that reaction.
In addition, great coaches aren’t rigid in their systems. They understand that each one of their athletes will have slightly different strengths, motivations, and personalities. Therefore, a great coach assesses their athletes first, then uses their knowledge to develop a system that fits each athlete’s or team’s unique gifts.
2) Great Coaches Inspire and Motivate Athletes to Improve Using Solo Practice
Second, as the research of Anders Ericsson suggest, it takes thousands of hours of practice to become the best. It’s just not feasible to work directly with a coach for that many hours. Therefore, the ability for an athlete to utilize solo practice to work on improving on their own is a requirement. Moreover, these hours of solo practice must be used wisely, or they will go to waste.
So, great coaches teach their athletes the why, what, and how of improving with solo practice. If they don’t, their athletes would never reach their potential simply because of the limitations of time. Furthermore, the most important part of this is that great coaches also inspire and motivate their athletes to want to practice on their own.
3) Great Coaches Support the Whole Athlete
Finally, great coaches don’t just teach sport specific systems and techniques. On the contrary, great coaches know that success is defined by more than just what is done on the field, court, or mat. Therefore, they approach their role as coach as being a mentor as well.
This means educating their athletes on preventing injuries, nutrition, character, and prioritizing rest and recovery so they can be in it for the long haul. What’s more, great coaches are also willing and able to provide counsel, resources, and connections to support non-sport specific situations.