Coaching Guide: How do you learn to coach?

 I have just recently finished some coaching clinics for some of the area parks and recreation programs. If you haven't figured out yet, I love coaching and I enjoy working with new coaches. I have conducted these programs for many years now and I never get tired of them. The energy and desire to become a good coach is contagious and seeing these novice coaches and their excitement only sparks my own desire to become better. 

Each year I have coaches who continue to contact me after the initial  clinic, I love to hear from them, they have many questions and concerns. I wish we could answer all of the questions and concerns, I'm certain there are many books written on the subject of coaching but there is only one way to become a better coach. You learn how to coach by coaching. If reading a book or talking to a coach was enough then we'd all be great coaches but that is not the case. We all know coaches who range from bad, to mediocre, to good, to great. Every coach I know wants to be considered a great coach, at the very least, a good coach. 

So how is this done? I would challenge anyone that to become a great coach, the first step is simply to coach. It doesn't matter the level of team or quality of league, the determining factor is your personal desire. Desire sets the stage for the real work, it's hard work becoming a great coach. To quote from A League of Their Own, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great." So how does one take advantage of their position in coaching to become a good or even great coach? I would ask that person are you doing the things you ask of your athletes?

Attributes that lead to becoming a great coach:

1) Taking feedback with a positive attitude.

2) Studying the game and your athletes.

3) Searching for more game and people knowledge.

4) Working on your areas of weakness (i.e. organization, communication, timeliness)

5) Figuring out your own personal strengthens and using them to your benefit.

When we give feedback to an athlete we expect them to take it with a positive attitude. We don't appreciate the rolling eyes, or the response "I know", or the lack of coach ability. But are we willing to take feedback with a positive attitude? Taking the feedback the way we would like our athletes to take it is a "telling" aspect of your true desire. 

Spending time learning about the game, new drills or new approaches takes time and this is another sign of how dedicated you are to your mission of becoming a great coach. But coaching is not just about the "x" and "o"... it's about people. Taking time learning about people, in general, as well as your own players is also part of becoming that quality coach. Learning about the athletes, their attitudes and their abilities is key for each season. Learning about the team and their abilities on their court helps in re-evaluating and change line ups or systems on the court so that your team is better able to compete. 

Looking at our own weakness and then making an effort to get better shows our own coach ability. Can we take an honest look at ourselves and can we take feedback by others we trust? We demonstrate the coachabilty we want from our athletes by how coachable we are. 

To becoming a great coach is being yourself. We can learn from others and even be inspired by some of the greats, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden, and more but at the end of the day we have to be authentic, we have to be ourselves. Taking our positive attributes and using them towards a greater goal helps us to remember why we wanted to be great coaches in the first place. 

"The same things win. It doesn't matter where you coach them. The game's the same". -Mike DuBose