Congratulations! Now that you’re a sports coach, you can now help hone the skills and talents of athletes, young or old. No matter the kind of sport you’re in, make sure to give your best. Your title does not limit your role.
Many athletes will tell you that their good coaches are often their sources of motivation. What you can teach kids goes beyond the sport you teach. You’re often able to touch the lives of your mentee in ways you won’t even begin to imagine. If you want to make an impact on your player’s life, be a good coach. But how?
For starters, avoid some of the worst mistakes a rookie coach can make, like the following:
Failure to create a fun but competitive environment
There is a direct link between the coach, the player’s anxiety levels, and their performance. Creating a fun but competitive environment for your players will make them feel at ease. It will help them loosen up, enjoy the experience and still do their best. But just because you’re letting your players have fun doesn’t mean that you can fuel their competitive spirit. You can still create a challenging learning environment while your team is enjoying the sport.
Not taking advantage of the available tools
If you have many tools and gadgets available at your disposal, why not take advantage of these to be a better coach? These days, you can invest in the available technology to help your team be faster, stronger, and better in their field. For instance, a sports speed gun can help your baseball team improve their pitching velocity. By letting your players know what the speed of their pitch is, they will work harder to achieve an increase in velocity to have a competitive edge on real games.
Doubting on your team
There are times when you think you’ve tried everything just to motivate your team to be at their best. But there will be times when one athlete fails to improve with the rest of the team. What you can do is to make them feel that you believe in what they can do. Know what their struggles are, give them affirmation and value their efforts. They will soon develop the confidence they need to excel.
Taking the credit and playing the blame game
There will be times when your team makes mistakes, leading to a loss or two, while there will also be times when they experience success. If you take all the credit and blame them for the loss, you’re not being a good influence. You have also played a role in your team’s results. Own more of your team’s failures and learn from the experience. Don’t take the credit to make yourself feel good; instead, praise their hard work so that they will return you the favor.
Being a coach is never easy. It requires lots of hard work, willingness to continue to learn, and patience to be able to be a good coach for your athletes. Remember that making mistakes is part of the learning, but that doesn’t mean that you should make the same costly mistakes other coaches already made.
