One of the first questions you have to ask yourself is, “What is Your Why?” Why do you coach? Are you a parent and the team needs someone? Are you a travel, club or high school coach? Are you a college coach and coaching is your livelihood? Are you a professional coach coaching at the top level?
Depending on your particular situation, there could be many factors that come into play. However, at the core of it all are two main principles – developing athletes (no matter what level) and building a successful team.
In order to do that, you must first determine your why. If you don’t have a main reason, you are doing the athletes a disservice. You must coach with a purpose. It is a passion driven exercise in effort and humility.
Once you have found your why, you must be a lifelong learner and try to soak up every possible bit of knowledge to help your athletes succeed. It is essential to have a toolbox ready each planning session, practice and game. The more tools you have available to you, the better you can build individual athletes and a team.
Coaching like a teacher is an essential element to have in your toolbox. If you understand the base principles of teaching, your coaching will be exponentially more effective.