Coaching is for losers: why you can be a great coach even if you never won anything
One thing in the sport sector which has always fascinated me, is the obsession with the idea that only great players can be great coaches. I've been a sports coach for a good few years now, and one thing that doesn't seem to have changed in all that time is the reaction I get when I first tell people that I coach.
"ooh, you ust be a really good player then"
And then I insist that actually, I'm not. I'm a pretty average player. In fact some would say below average, depending on how you're measuring. Generally this draws out comments like:
"yeah right, you're just saying that aren't you? I bet you played at least county level."
We prefer friendly and non-judgemental to fitness focused
In fact in my experience, for most people, great coaching is roughly 10% technical skill, 20% being reactive and able to think on your feet and about 70% being nice to people*. In their research into the sporting workforce published in 2017 (1), London Sport asked almost 2000 regular Londoners what they'd most be looking for in a sports leader and things like 'focused on fitness' and 'focused on technique' came pretty far down the list. What came out consistently on top were qualities like 'motivating', 'friendly' and 'not going to judge me'.
I mean if you're trying to coach Olympic Medallists or World Champions, fair enough, the need for more technical 'know-how' does come into play; but since most of us aren't doing that is it really all that necessary? In particular for someone who is brand new to an activity, they are starting from a position of zero experience and expertise. This means that, when they look up at the spectrum of players and coaches already taking part, everybody looks pretty damn good.
Our perception is shaped by our previous experience
The way we perceive something is very much a product of the environment in which we encounter it (2) and we make relative judgements based on the given situation (e.g. If we put our hands into warm water straight after they have been in ice water, it will feel much hotter than it really is). This means that looking upwards from the position of a newcomer, the difference between a decent club player and county player can go completely unnoticed. All those levels of "better than me" just kind of blur together. In practice this can mean, for those who are just starting out, a coach who seems a bit too good can actually feel quite intimidating and unrelatable. How can that person, with all their natural skill and ability, have any idea what it's like to be me? I bet they don't remember what it was like to be the slowest, or to struggle to catch or hit a shot.
Coaches really do inspire us - as long at they're inspirational in the right way
One of the sports that I coach is squash and one of the reasons I started coaching squash was because when I first started playing as a twenty something I was full of excitement and enthusiasm but had a lot less going for me on the skill and ability front. I was lucky enough to meet a brilliant squash coach who was all of things the London Sport research showed are important. The fact that he never judged me and my rather limited abilities was what kept me going back.
When I moved to a new area, I discovered that this approach was not the norm and I struggled to find anywhere to play where I didn't feel like I wasn't good enough. So much so that I pretty much quit playing altogether. But in the nick of time I got lucky again and came across another inspirational coach. He works with players of all abilities, but shows exactly the same passion and commitment to all players, regardless of skill level. He talked me into coming back and slowly my confidence was re-established.
When I suggested that we needed a session for out and out beginners, an entry level where brand new players could give it a bash with other people in a similar position, he was right on board. And when I said I wanted to coach it, he gave me his full support. There was one moment of slight hesitation, when he said to me "but what will you do if someone really talented turns up?" I said "I'll send them to you". He said "fair enough" and more than five years later, the sessions are still going strong, with countless new players introduced to squash as a result.
Teaching technique is easier than teaching how to be nice
So if you're looking to work with new, inexperienced or recreational players, the best advice I can give you is to focus on the personal qualities of the coaches you are recruiting and let technical ability play second fiddle. Even if your prospective coach has never taken part in your activity, I promise you it is a lot easier to teach them the basics of your sport than it is to teach them how to be nice.
The top qualities I'd be looking for when recruiting coaches of this type would be:
Genuine warmth, enthusiasm and positivity;
Accessible and able to relate to different kinds of people;
Able to spot when someone is uncomfortable/left out and do something about it;
Flexible and adaptable to think on their feet and change things to make them work for everyone;
Knows how to keep everyone safe; and
Has a basic understanding of the activity - this is enough
Of course if you're looking for a coach for Mo Farah+, your list might need to look a little different. But if, like me, you're coaching brilliant, regular, real world people, then you won't go far wrong with the above.
If this type of workforce development gets your creative juices flowing and is an area you'd like to explore more, you'll definitely want to take a look at the #morethansport Academy. Proper Active is partnering with Sports Marketing Network to launch the #morethansport Academy this summer. The academy will offer innovative training and support for those wishing to engage and support less active, inactive and social audiences.
If you'd like to talk more about the #morethansport Academy or more generally about workforce development or your recruitment strategy get in touch with Proper Active on info@properactive.co.uk.
(1) Bigger and Better Workforce Review (2017) https://londonsport.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bigger-and-Better-Workforce-Report-London-Sport-and-Morar-HPI.pdf
(2) Weber, E. U. (2003) Perception Matter: Psychophysics for Economists. In I. Brocas, J.D. Carillo (Eds), The Psychology of Economic Decisions (Vol. 2, pp. 163–176). New York: Oxford University Press.
*In the interests of full disclosure, these are guesstimated statistics.
+Mo Farah is a British long distance runner who won double gold for 5,000m and 10,000m in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
