A good coach can influence an athlete for a lifetime
Coaching is one of the greatest vocations to which anyone can aspire. Regardless of whether they are paid or a volunteer, full-time or part-time, coaches have the opportunity to elevate young people in a lasting way. This opportunity is grounded in the educational value of sports, and the distinctive role of the coach as teacher, leader, and role model. What coaches do with this opportunity will determine their impact on their athletes and their value as a coach.
The Educational Value of Sports
Sports provide a distinctive classroom for educating young people. For one thing, sports require a wide range of personal competencies. Successful athletes need not only athletic ability, but also healthy lifestyles, positive character, self direction, teamwork, and leadership. For another thing, sports provide immediate and public feedback on performance. It is hard to think of anywhere else in society where young people get to apply such a diverse array of skills in a such a public setting. That's why organized sport is perhaps the most powerful vehicle we have for teaching young people positive competitive values in a team environment. We do not always live up to that potential, but the potential is still there.
The Power of a Coach
Coaches hold tremendous power over young people. Coaches are teachers, leaders, mentors, and role models. Coaches decide who plays, where they play, and how much they play. Coaches also decide who gets taught, what they get taught, and how they get taught. It is hard to think of anyone in society, outside of parents and the media, who holds this much power over young people. Some coaches use this power to lift kids up. Other coaches use this power to tear kids down. Anyone who has been around youth sports has seen both kinds of coaches. This is why athletes and parents value good coaches so much.
The Value of a Good Coach
Good coaches use their power to elevate their athletes. They coach everyone on the team, not just a chosen few. They care about their athletes as people, not just performers. They relate to their athletes with trust and respect. They want their athletes to do well, and they will do anything they can to help their athletes reach the next level. They show idealism, enthusiasm, determination, dedication, concern, compassion, and a love of the game. They, like their athletes, make mistakes. But they always try to do their best for their athletes.
The value of good coaches is reflected in their athletes. Most former athletes can tell stories about how a good coach changed their life. The stories are not about how a coach taught the pick and roll, hit and run, breast stroke, open-field block, or scissor kick. They are about lessons learned in character, self direction, teamwork, and leadership. Or about how a coach helped them change their self-image from someone who 'couldn't' to someone who 'could.' The stories usually involve a coach who was not perfect, but truly cared.
If you have had a good coach in your life, or in your child's life, today is a good day to say a simple 'thanks.' That's all a good coach needs to keep teaching those positive life lessons that change so many lives.
Comments