Coaches are responsible for guiding athletes to reach their true potential. Just like athletes need to prepare themselves to execute their best performances, effective coaches need to prepare themselves to be the best at their job.
What are some of the strategies great coaches use?
– Coaching strategies are molded to meet the needs of each athlete. Great coaches are very aware that each athlete has his/her unique talents, personalities, and needs. Coaches are constantly reflecting on the plan of action used before and after practice. If it is working, then continue using it; if it is not, throw it away. The goal is to evaluate all different ways to improve the athlete’s performance in order to assess how effective their strategies are.
– Most coaches maintain a problem-solving mindset. A coach will focus on how to solve practice and performance situations in order to instill confidence in the athlete.
– They are sensitive to the performance learning curve of each athletes. They promote support and reward when the athletes meet new goals and motivation and encouragement when they felt short of achieving their objectives.
– A skilled coach challenge athletes to promote a thinking approach that pushes them to think for themselves. They want athletes to develop their own coping skills for when they encounter challenges so the athlete feels confident about trusting in his/her own problem-solution approach.
– An experienced coach welcome inputs from athletes. They view the achievement of a performance as a consequence of a team approach.