The Successful Coach Essay

“Most people in the world who have worked at their jobs for any length of time will be able to testify how their job and also, how they have changed over the years; and coaching is no exception. Far too often coaches, players and entire teams do not know how to, or choose not to unleash their ability to be creative and innovative. Yet they want improvement. Sometimes improvement comes from the commitment to work, yet, sometimes it must come as a result of making changes. When the reality that change is needed so too is the ability to tap the individual and team innovation and creativity is also needed”. (J M. , 2005)

According to Cabral in the book “The Successful Coach”, “coaching is not easy to define”. (1996). The International Sports Coaching

Basic knowledge would be required for youth sports, but a detailed knowledge base is essential for seniors and professional sports. “This knowledge includes an in-depth understanding of the skills, tactics and strategies required for effective training, practices and game-day decisions” (J H. , 2013). In the book “The Successful Coach: Guidelines for Coaching Practice”, it states that “effective and successful coaches have an open and inquiring mind set, and that they never assume that they know everything about their sport or coaching” (1996). The qualities of inquisitiveness and thoughtfulness combined with a willingness to challenge traditional views are important. However, Crisfield states that “there is no substitute for having a firm knowledge of the sport, performers, factors that influence performance and the factors that influence the effectiveness of coaching”,

, 2013). According to the “Official website of the Olympic Movement”, it states that “the effective coach is a coach who communicates well and exudes credibility, competence, respect and authority” (Movement, 2014). Caplan, (2007) states that “some coaches feel that effective communication is all about talking and telling participants what to do. But communication is a two way process, with the sending of a signal (verbal or non-verbal communication) being as important as the receiving of a signal (listening and understanding).” In the book “Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer-2nd Edition” Hargreaves and Bate (1990) states that “as coaches, we probably use verbal communication more than any other method”. But Goldberg (2010) contradicts this by stating that “non-verbal communication is not just commonplace in team sports, it is sometimes essential to the success or failure of a team”. He also makes a great point by saying that “the game of baseball is ruled by the giving, and sometimes stealing, of signs and signals, and other team sports have their own unspoken codes that allow teams to work together without giving away their secrets to the opposition” (Goldberg, 2010). According to Sports Coach UK (2014), communication is a two-way process where listening is equally, if not more, important as talking. A coach should be a