Coaching That Matters

The coaching that matters is not the technical, tactical and training nuances; coaching that matters is what some call the intangibles. The ability to say the right thing at the right time. To be firm and fair. To let the athlete know the boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable performance and behavior. The ability to connect and communicate. Technical expertise is a given at the highest levels of coaching, what matters and makes the difference is so-called emotional intelligence. It is understanding the human element. Great coaches are not great by chance. I read where the great soccer manager Jose Mourinhno speaks to his players as a group in the language of the country where he coaches and when he meets with the players individually he speaks the players native language. Think about that. He sets a level of expectation for the players to know the culture and language of the country they are playing in and he connects with each player individually. If you want to be a great coach get beyond X’s and O’s, GPS data and heart rate variability and learn to connect with the athlete on a human level.