Learning - A Perspective

It is a given that a coach should be as knowledgeable as possible. What are you doing to today to learn and to get better? As coaches we should be constantly learning. No doubt we should question the specialists and experts, read and research, observe other coaches and other sports – that is all fine and well but don’t miss the forest for the trees. Every training session, each interaction with an athlete is an opportunity to learn. I can only speak for myself but in my early days of coaching (when I knew everything) I missed out on many learning opportunities because I was too busy talking to listen and see. Don’t repeat my mistakes, listen, carefully observe, step back and think before you speak. Each day look at the world with new eyes, seek out the learning opportunities your athletes can teach you, it is as much as any book or expert. Listen to what they say, watch what they do, see how they solve movement problems, they are a wealth of information and they are there everyday for us to learn from.