Written by Too often have we seen (and not seen) how player-coach dynamics fall through, inevitably causing mental or physical suffering to one or both parties. The end result is seen time and time again. Players are on the receiving end of the stick, and coaches usually just continue doing their thing. It’s not fun.
“Coach didn’t like me”
“He preferred the other players”
“Coach barely played me”
Although the limits to HOW players are affected are really sporadic and unmeasurable, we can still take steps to prevent this from happening in the first place.
Firstly, the job of a coach is to, well, coach. A good coach will always look out for what’s best for their team, and an even better coach does that while also catering to each individual player’s needs, abilities, and success. Unless you’ve never played organized sports, you’ve had a coach or two in your lifetime who was really passionate and wanted you to succeed. I’m sure all of us have had this figure at one point or another in our lives. We look back at them fondly, and with deep nostalgia. They helped push you in a healthy way, and didn’t undermine your or the team’s success in any way. To give you an example, I can vividly remember my highschool basketball coach telling us before one of the most important games of the season that if we won it was due to us, the players, and if we lost it’s because of them (the coaches). Lifting that burden off of your players backs might look like they would be prone to slack off more given the pressure has been lifted, but in fact it did the opposite effect. We went out there and pushed ourselves rather than being pushed by someone else. Of course every individual is different and might respond to that differently, but we could all sense our coach’s attitude about it, so we didn’t back down.
The bottom line here is trying to create and then maintain a healthy player coach environment where at the end of the day coaches should benefit from perceiving their players more like people rather than athletes. By doing so you create rapport with the players and establish a bond, something very much needed in a thriving sports culture. Another tip for coaches is to let yourself go, and not put on this front of “I’m your coach and that’s all I am, and ever will be, to you”. Relax, let yourself go, be you for a change! My favorite moments with my coaches was when we were off of the court and talking about life or school or achievements we’d both like to attain. To wrap it up, maybe giving a little to your players may get you a lot in return, try breaking some of your habits and replacing them with something more positive, easy going, or uplifting and see how your athletes react