CoachesEducation.com

A coach has the potential to become a very positive force in the physical and psychological development of the athlete. What are the qualities of a good coach?

Clinic notes presented by Coach Joe I. Vigil, Ph.D. :

1.
Support encourage, and praise your athletes
2.
Display and draw attention to your athletes' successes
3.
Be positive, avoid conveying difficulty of a future task, avoid putting down any athlete
4.
Show care and concern, express affection, love is the most powerful motivator
5.
Ask yourself often:
·What can I do to give my athletes more personal gain
·How can I make the sport program prestigious for the athletes
·Am I pleasant to be with
·Am I approachable
6.
Think motivation, not reprimand, suspend judgment
7.
Make learning an opportunity, pace your teaching, use frequent review
8.
Avoid placing your athletes in jeopardy, avoid requesting an impossible performance in training and/or competition, avoid using guilt
9.
Change the routine, have practice and competitions in different locations, change pre-practice warm-up and stretching routines, avoid stagnation, create attention and interest
10.
Provide workouts results to the athletes with positive competence oriented comments
11.
Be autonomy supporting of each athlete, allow the athletes a role in the decision making processes which affect their development in the sport
12.
Be informational, provide educational information to your athletes
13.
Avoid labeling your athletes (i.e. fast group, slow group, etc.), the athletes live up to their label, good or bad, they may measure their self-worth based on their perceived ability to live up too the label
14.
Avoid setting goals for the athlete, allow them to set their own personalized and internalized goals
15.
Provide positive competence feedback and ability oriented praise to your athletes ego involving situations (competitive situation)
16.
Remember the frequency, consistency, and intensity of criticism and punishment from you to your athletes contributes to athlete fear of failure, fear of evaluation, competitive trait anxiety, and competitive state anxiety
17.
Show calm and empathy for injured athletes, avoid conveying anxiety, anger and distrust.

Coach George Payan
www.coacheseducation.com