Why is Coaching Education Important?

As I write this, my thoughts are centered on Track &
Field, but coaching education is important in every sport. I was fortunate  to be the first graduate of the UCSB Coaching Minor program in 1969.
The professors who developed that program put together a curriculum that has
been my model for the ensuing 41 years. They recognized and taught us that
the coach was the foundation of the sport system. We learned that you need to
have a good foundation in applied sport science, pedagogical principles and
methods and above all practical field experience of hands on coaching under
experienced mentor coaches. That experience certainly molded my thinking.

Over
the years as I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries and work
with various sports it is very easy to see who have developed coaching
education programs. The coaches speak a common language, they have a foundation
in good methodology and they know how to learn. Coaching education is only the
beginning; it must inspire the coach to keep learning and improving. In this
country swimming has a good program, soccer both through US Soccer Licensing
program and a separate program provided by the National Soccer Coaches
Association do a good job. They could be better but they get the job done. There are other programs in our country that are developing coaches.

It
just seems that in our culture the coach does not have the same value as in
other countries. I am not sure why that is, but I do know that without coaching
education it would impossible to compete on the international and produce
consistent results. Look at Great Britain in the late 1970’s, 80’s and early
90’s in Track & Filed. Their chief national coach at the time, Frank Dick,
made coaching education the basis of the whole system. During that period
Britain rose to be one of the powers in the world in events they had been never
been strong in before. It was because of coaching!

Look at it a slightly
different way. The career of an athlete at the international level is very
short, on average three to four years with a few notable exceptions. Someone
had to guide them to that level. That someone was the coach. The coach’s career
is long, chances are that coach will continue to produce athletes at a high
level for years to come. In other words for every dollar invested in coaching
and coaching education the return on investment accrues over the years. Some
countries will not fund athletes unless they are in a formal coaching program;
they understand that without coaching the athlete has less chance of success.
Coaching is the key, it is not very sexy and glamorous, but it is the foundation for
athletic excellence.

All coaches should be concerned about the recent events in
the USA T&F Coaching Education program. I view the recent events as a devaluation
of coaching, essentially an attack on the integrity and importance of coaching.
If you are coach you are special. You lead, you teach, you inspire. Coaching
education keeps challenging us and making us better teachers and leaders.