Choose the Right Coach
When you choose the right coach, it can make an impact forever. Great coaches inspire greatness. Some clients say they don’t like their coach.
There can be several things going on in these situations but the main challenge can be that many athletes don’t choose their coach. They might get a referral, hear that a coach has a good reputation, or choose a coach because they’ve gotten the job done (i.e., helped an athlete get to college or go professional, or try out for the Olympics).
All of these things are great and can be appealing but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right coach for you. Let’s discuss how to choose the right coach and why it’s important.
Know what you need
The important thing you need prior to even talking to a coach is to know what you need. Here are some questions to ponder when thinking about what you need from a coach.
- What attributes do you like?
- What kind of personality do you work well with?
- What do you want? What don’t you want?
- What doesn’t work for you?
- What is your ideal coach like?
You can also think about a coach you worked with you that you liked and then think about a coach you worked with that you didn’t like.
Once you have a sense of what you need then you can prioritize them – what do you absolutely need, what’s secondary and what (if anything) can you live without? It’s good to have a continuum of needs because we can’t get all of our needs met from one person.
When you know what you need then you come up with a list of questions you want to ask a potential coach. Start by listing questions for your most essential needs and then your secondary and things you can live without. You don’t necessarily need a ton of questions, but you want to make sure you ask questions that give you the information you need.
Interview coaches to choose the right coach
Coaches are busy people and you want to make sure a coach has time for you. Call or email a potential coach to set up a time to talk to them. If they don’t respond for two weeks. How do you feel about that? This first interaction will make a first impression and if it doesn’t make a good first impression, is that someone you want to work with? Or do you want to give them a second chance? Maybe your email went into spam. These are all things to think about.
Regardless, to choose the right coach you will want to have a conversation with that person. Set up an ‘interview’, ask your questions and ask follow up questions whenever necessary. Try asking open ended questions so the potential coach has to elaborate. I also suggest asking situational questions – if “this” happened, how would you handle it?
Not only do you want to interview a coach, but you should set up one or two practice or training sessions with them before you commit. Even though the conversation (interview) may have gone well, working on the court or field with someone is pretty different. It will show a different side of the coach. It’ll show her/his practical coaching skills.
Get what you need after you choose your coach
Even after you go through the process of choosing the right coach for you, it doesn’t mean that coach has 100% of what you need. No one will. So, the other part of the process is to develop your ability to work well with your coach.
You need to develop your ability to communicate. You must be OK communicating what you need and want versus what you don’t. Most athletes settle for what they get because they think the coach is the coach. A good coach will work hard to develop a program and a way of to deliver it that meets your needs as an athlete. Communication is a two way street and you have to help the coach in this process.
Besides communicating what you need and want, you want to communicate your goals. What do you want to work on at practice? What’s important to you? A good coach will ask what your goals are and then incorporate them into practice but you have to make sure your goals are being met and sometimes coaches need a little reminding. That, in and of itself, doesn’t make them a bad coach.
The outcome to choose the right coach
Knowing what you need and interviewing coaches helps ensure your success. So many of my clients have felt demotivated and stressed because their coach was not at all what they wanted or needed, and the coach got in the way of development. The client didn’t feel like the coach had their best interest in mind and wasn’t interested in their goals. That is not the right coach for you.
Sports is hard enough without having to deal with a coach that doesn’t meet your needs. Practices and competitions are already filled with angst, stress, and pressure. Consciously choosing a coach eliminates a coach who is not supportive and adds angst, stress, and pressure. The right coach can help lower any sports related issues because you have a good relationship with them and they are supportive and care about giving you the tools to succeed.
Your coach should not add to or get in the way of what you are trying to accomplish. Part of their role is to do totally the opposite – helping you to figure out what you need to do to succeed. I read a quote a few weeks ago that went like this:
