THE COMPLETE COACH

BY SHANE ANDERSON HEAD FOOTBALL COACH & CAMPUS COORDINATOR WACO MIDWAY HIGH SCHOOL

It has been said over and over again that being a COACH is not a job, it is a calling. I truly believe that we, as coaches, are needed more now than ever before. Whether you are a seasoned veteran coach who has seen it all in this profession, a first-year coach who is still getting their feet wet, or someone who is aspiring to one day become a coach and change the lives of others, the ultimate goal is to be a complete coach who makes an impact on the lives of young people on and off the field; all while striving for that ultimate prize of hoisting that trophy over your head as a State Champion. In order to achieve these goals, you must develop a champion culture and capture the hearts of your athletes.

Championship Culture

There have been many presentations and many books written on culture. Culture looks different for all of us. When setting the expectations for your program, the lowest behavior you accept is your team culture. We all have certain things that make our program unique and special compared to others across the state. Actions speak louder than words. It’s easy to talk about your culture and blast it out on social media, but if everyone in your program is not carrying themselves in a way that represents the definition of your culture, then your culture is NOT what you think it is.

HOW DO YOU “CAPTURE THEIR HEARTS?”

1. Must be Competent

To be competent in your sport, you must be knowledgeable, fundamentally sound, a good strategist, etc.... In this day and age, with social media and all of the things accessible to parents and athletes, you must know your stuff! You have to have a passion for getting better and improving each and every day as a coach. Study your sport, study your position. You must strive to continually improve, no matter how long you have been doing it or how much success you have had. Attend clinics and other programs practices. Find people you admire and believe in who “do it the right way”, and go visit them. Find one thing that can help you, your staff, or your program. Watch videos, YouTube, and clinic tapes. You cannot fake it in 2023. You must be able to tell your players WHY!

2. Must Give Proper Feedback

As a coach, we should all be eager to help our athletes improve in all aspects of life. We have to be able to give proper feedback and coach the specifics, NOT the results. Tell them “good job” and why; tell them “bad job” and why. Teach them how to self-correct and then let them make their own adjustments. If you do not know how to teach them to self-correct, then find someone who does. Get your ego out of the way. Success over lesser opponents does not always mean you did it right. What sets the great programs apart is the wins over opponents that you shouldn’t beat on paper.

4. Must Develop and Cultivate Relationships

Relationships are the name of the game in our profession. Relationships between coaches and parents, coaches themselves, and, most importantly, the relationships you build between you and the players that play for you. You should always strive to make them feel safe, secure, and significant! If your players know you care, they will do anything for you! One of the most rewarding things about being a coach is when a former player calls, texts, or comes back to see you and tells you how much your relationship meant to them.

5. Tough Love

3. Must Speak Greatness

There is no place for sarcasm in the coaching profession. As a coach, you should always lead with great encouragement. Of course, there will be times where you have to give constructive criticism, but at the end of the day, it has to be about put-ups and not put-downs. What should your athletes be able to expect from you as their coach? Honesty, you should never lie to your athletes. Even though it may be a hard conversation, being honest and transparent is always the best. This will save you time and heartache later down the line. If your athletes make a mistake, you should ask them, “Do you know what you did wrong?” Coaching is teaching; you must be willing to teach and re-teach until they master the criteria. Treat your players the same way you want your son or daughter treated. Unless you have children of your own, this is sometimes very hard to understand. What should you expect from your players? As your coach, can I trust you? What do you want me to help you accomplish? Probably the most important one as a player is, do you care?

“WE ALL LOVE TO BE ENCOURAGED AND TOLD GOOD JOB”

Tough love is something that is not always accepted by the community and/or parents. Tough love is also the most understood saying in all of sports. There are many different definitions for tough love, and it is sometimes interpreted differently depending on the player or coach’s background. For me, I use a simple saying that I also use as a definition for our players, coaches and everyone in our program. It reads as follows:

We will not accept you as you are. We will only accept you for what you can become. Through that process, we will guide, love, and encourage you to be the best that you can be.

We must be willing to lose someone or something for the TRUTH.

It is the coaches’ job to love the players. It is the players’ job to love each other.

Always remember, at the end of the day, month, or season, the most important thing is the relationships you build and the lives you touch. As a coach, it is very easy to get caught up in the scoreboard or wins and losses, but this is not how you will ultimately be judged. By spending more time focusing on capturing your athletes’ hearts and becoming a complete coach, you will have a long and successful career and make a huge impact in every school district and community come in contact with!

God bless and keep coaching ‘em up!