The Complete Coach

I often hear parents and athletes state “he (she) is a good coach”, but what does that mean? Are they developing the athlete? Are they enhancing the athlete’s ability to gain success? Are they providing a fun environment for the athlete? Like athletes, coaches have different personalities, some are more authoritarian, and some are mellow and relaxed, whilst others are high intensity and rely on their emotions to make decisions.

 

Even though good coaches demonstrate different skill sets and personalities they share common traits that make them COMPLETE COACHES. In my opinion a complete coach can positively influence any athlete, in any environment, at any level. What traits do you look for in a coach?

 

Here are the top five traits/abilities that I believe a complete coach demonstrates (in no particular order);

(1)   The ability to evaluate the character (personality) of athletes quickly and accurately.

(2)   Possess a complete understanding of the sport from a psychological, emotional, physical, technical, and tactical perspective.

(3)   Able to gain and maintain the respect/trust of the athletes, and also show respect to all those involved with the sport, most importantly the athlete(s).

(4)   The ability to problem solve effectively in controlled and uncontrolled environments.

(5)   The ability to self-assess their abilities (strengths & weaknesses) in efforts to constantly develop.

Athletes in British Columbia are blessed with a large quantity of good coaches and it is important that these coaches are given the opportunity to positively influence the athletes in their chosen sports. In closing I will add that you will rarely find a complete coach without an equally competent support group, which can be in the form of a club and/or coaching staff (assistant coach, manager, trainer etc…).

Craig Dalrymple

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