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5 measures of success for a high school
coach
©2008 oldschoolsportsparenting.com
What makes a good high school sports coach?
Some say it’s nothing more than a teaching job. But having taught and
coached in public schools, I can tell you that coaching requires a much
broader skill set than classroom teaching. Good coaches do everything
good teachers do, but they do it more often, under more stressful
conditions and in front of a public audience. Then they get to read
about it the next day in the newspaper.
There’s not enough space to list the differences here. But I’ll
probably get enough angry feedback from teachers to justify a separate
piece on this subject in the not-too-distant future.
Meantime, let’s play a little game of, "You’re the Athletic
Director." (Oh, wait ... you really are the Athletic Director!)
It’s time to do annual performance evaluations on all head coaches of
your school’s sports teams. What factors do you measure?
Here are my five choices. All are equally important. If a coach is
missing any one of them, he or she probably isn’t doing the job well
enough to succeed in the long term.
1. Wins and
losses
Sorry, bleeding hearts, but they
keep score for a reason. I’m not suggesting a coach has to win the
league championship every year. But good coaches teach players how
to succeed, and as long as there’s a scoreboard, winning will be an
important measure of success. Not the only one, mind you. But an
important one. If your school has a long-term reputation for losing,
your coach should be replaced. I don’t care how much the players
love him or her. Admiration from players is definitely a measure of
success, but if all you want from your coach is the ability to earn
the player’s love or respect, hire a mom or a drill sergeant.
2. Ability and
willingness to help qualified student athletes get college
opportunities
Obviously, not all kids want to
play sports in college. But for those with the interest and ability
to do so, their high school coach has to be able to help. How? Well,
for starters, he has to maintain credibility with recruiters, by not
telling them he has good prospects when all he has is nice kids. He
also should help seek out college opportunities by sending letters
and tapes to appropriate schools. And he should respond to inquiries
from recruiters in a timely manner. He can’t "get" any kid a
scholarship or an accelerated admissions opportunity. But he can --
and must -- help to create opportunities for students who want and
deserve them.
3. Long-term
respect and admiration of players
A good coach is like a good parent:
tough when he has to be, but also respectful, sympathetic, kind and
honorable. Coaches who win by intimidation are little more than
phonies and bullies. The real measure isn’t just how his current
players feel about him. It’s also how his past
players feel about him. Kids gain a greater appreciation for a
coach’s impact as they grow older, move away, maybe play college
sports and get exposed to other coaching styles. To get a good sense
of how one of your coaches is doing his job, ask some of his players
from two or three years ago what they remember, like, and dislike
about playing for him. They’re far enough removed to comment freely
without fear of retribution. And they’ll have the benefit of 20-20
hindsight, not to mention zero vested interest in their opinions.
4. Sportsmanship
and integrity
This has nothing to do with running
up the score and other meaningless factors. I’m talking about
demanding fair play within the rules, and dealing with kids fairly
and honestly. Does that mean treating them all equally? No. "Fair"
isn’t a synonym for "equal." Some kids need an arm around them when
they make a mistake. Others need tough love. The coach’s response
should fit the individual and the circumstances.
5. Builder, not
just a "maintainer"
A successful coach builds his
program. He develops players, and generates interest and
participation. He doesn't just win when he has good players. He wins
every year, because he has good players every year -- or so it
seems. He has a charisma about him that draws kids to his program
in large numbers. It may take a few years, but eventually, his
sport becomes one of the
sports to play. He has his pick of some of the school's best
athletes every year. People in the community marvel at how he
always seems to be "reloading" instead of "rebuilding." Even
less-talented athletes want to be part of his team. It's among the
highest athletic status symbols in the school.
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