Coaching is teaching

How do you teach? How you teach determines your effectiveness as a coach. It was drilled into me when I was in college and student coaching that coaching was teaching. Fortunately, early in my career I was mentored by and coached with some great teacher /coaches. As I reflect on that I realize how fortunate I was to have those influences.

When I look at young coaches today I don’t see the same emphasis on teaching. I see technical knowledge, which is wonderful, but can you impart that to the athlete? As coaches our classrooms and laboratories are the track, fields, courts or the pool. Everything we do as coaches is based on our ability to teach.  Make you goal to be a better teacher and you will be a significantly better coach.