It hardly seems possible that over the past several weeks I have been even more immersed in coaching than normal. Starting with the GAIN Apprentorship, then work in Trinidad and Tobago and finally last week at the California Coach’s Conference at Concordia University in Irvine it has been more coaching coaches rather than hands on coaching athletes. As I progress in my career it seems that the coaching path is leading me more in the direction of coaching the coaches. The role of mentor coach is a role I am enjoying. I know how important my mentor coaches were in guiding and forming my career, I only hope I can be as helpful to others as my mentors were to me.
Many conversations and questions in the past few weeks have served to underscore the importance of coaching and the role of the coach in the development of the athlete and as the cornerstone in the whole development process. An athletes career in their peak performing years is relatively short on average three to four years but a coaches career is on average is much longer up to thirty or forty years spanning many generations of athletes. It is impossible to measure the impact a coach can have over this time span.
The spotlight in the competitive arena is clearly on the athlete but it is the coach in the background who drives the system, who puts in the unseen hours of preparation to enable the athlete to perform. Coaching is not about training, technique, tactics and strategy, it is about people, the ability to communicate and guide people toward fulfillment of their potential as athletes and as people. Coaching matters so lets be sure to value the coach and the positive role they play in the process of growing an athlete.