Coach’s Impact on Athletes

Anonymous students share their experiences with coaches

RAJASI LADDHA AND KAVYA KAUSHAL podcast editor and writer

The depth and nature of the relationship between athletes and their coaches can ultimately dictate an athlete’s future. Coaches overlook every single aspect of one’s athletic and personal life as a single action of an athlete can either solidify or destroy their career. Yet this pressure and the environment in which trainers and coaches nurture their athletes can also make or break the athlete themselves. As one athlete describes, one must have a personal relationship with their coach in order to trust they know what is best for you as an individual, both on and off the sport. Athletes at Cupertino High School are no stranger to the tumultuous relationships with their coaches and their sport, sharing their experiences of how their coaches have affected their view of their respective sports and the overall positive and negative impacts their trainers have had on their lives.

“One of my coaches uses her years of experience within cheer, both as a coach and a former cheerleader, to relate to her athletes, and she, therefore, holds us to high standards. She has no problem having fun during practices and encourages team bondings to amplify team unity. However, she also understands when to work efficiently and how to motivate her

athletes. Her teams reflect this balance, and you can see the notable difference. She pushes you further than you think without pushing your boundaries.” – Anonymous Competitive Cheerleader

“IT TOOK ME A WHILE BEFORE I COULD VIEW BASKETBALL AS AN OUTLET LIKE IT ONCE WAS WHEN I FIRST STARTED PLAYING. ” ANONYMOUS BASKETBALL PLAYER

“My former coach’s implicit actions that favored returning, more experienced players created a divide within our team when basketball is a sport that depends on teamwork and collaboration. He made me question my self-esteem and confidence throughout the season, both on and off the court. I remember requesting feedback from him, and he genuinely could not answer because he neglected the majority of the team. His influence impacted my relationships with my teammates and basketball itself, and it took me a while before I could view basketball as an outlet like it once was when I first started playing.” – Anonymous Basketball Player

“It feels really special having known him since I was ten years old. I originally struggled with my self-confidence, and he helped me learn that it doesn’t matter how much other peole believe in me; I have to believe in myself first. I wouldn’t be where I am without him; his experience and his constant encouragement has been imperative to my softball journey. To me, he is far more than a coach; he is my mentor, my biggest supporter other than my mom, and a huge inspiration.” – Anonymous Softball Athlete

“This is my 3rd year running under Coach for track and field. I have enjoyed every moment with him as my coach…[Even] though he is an extremely strict coach, he has taught me invaluable lessons and I will remember him forever. Coach is known for being very strict, but he is able to help you very efficiently and provide solutions for whatever problems you may have. I believe a coach’s role is to provide assistance whenever the athlete needs and guide them along their journey. They are there to help the athlete mature and hone their own skills without interfering too much. I believe I have grown greatly due to Coach’s…strict way of coaching. He has led me to look at what I do through a more mature perspective and understanding why

I do it.” – Anonymous Track and Field Athlete

“My relationship with my coach was not highly professional.

He was a really good soccer coach who was pretty serious himself but knew how to be relatively laid back and connect with his players one on one… Due to him having played my position before, a lot of his drills and tips were really coordinated toward me and had a really positive impact on my playing style. He was consistently professional and always came prepared, yet had time to incorporate fun activities for us. I think a coach’s role in an athlete’s life is to teach them how to improve themselves and to behave as a role model. A good coach will equip you with the skills necessary to improve on yourself! … With the abilities he provided me, I was able to dedicate a more useful portion of my time towards proper training [and] … instill the skills of hard work, dedication, and practice into me. Through our one on one training, I learnt a bit more about … the years of dedication and hard work it takes in order to be able to preform perfectly. In a way, it’s like you’re rehearsing for a performance. The more your practice the better off you are.” – Anonymous Soccer

Athlete

“My coach and I have a new relationship because he just recent- ly became my coach just a couple months ago… [With] fencing, there has to be some level of trust with your coach because your fencing style is just an altered image of their fencing style. This may or may not be positive for the fencer, but for me it is, because my coach and I have overall similar fencing styles. Unlike my previous coaches, this coach would encourage you to want to

improve yourself. He would also have a nice tone when teaching you, a lot of times other coaches are very loud or passive aggressive with their students, thus negatively impacting their students… I feel like the coach should always support the athlete no matter how the athlete [does]. I also feel like the coach should be a teacher who is able to help the athlete learn from experiences and… improve their skills… I’ve grown mentally and physically, but most importantly my mentality has grown so much better with each coach.” – Anonymous Fencing Athlete

“A GOOD COACH WILL EQUIP YOU WITH THE SKILLS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE ON YOURSELF! ” ANONYMOUS SOCCER ATHLETE