Sports Coach - Are you a ‘Dream Stealer’?

“Half of the world’s misery comes from ignorance. The other half comes from intelligence.” (Baslo)

Becoming an elite athlete in any sport is very difficult. In most instances sporting success comes from years of personal sacrifice and commitment, there are no short-cuts.

But what drives a young child to strive to be the best - well ultimately it is a DREAM. The journey often starts when a young child is introduced to a sport, they find it engaging and lots of fun….they begin to see role models at the top end of the sporting landscape e.g. Ricky Ponting, Cathy Freeman, Nathan Buckley, Cristiano Ronaldo etc. Then the dreams begin.

Unless a child has a parent or a close relative that excelled at a particular sport, then ultimately the guidance and player development will come from an external person, usually a ‘Sports Coach’. This is why the role of the Sports Coach is such an important one.

While it is true that the sports coach education programs here in Australia are very well structured and professionally organised, the simple fact is that in many sports, particularly the football codes, coaches are not fully aware of (or held accountable for) the significant role that they have in a child’s sporting development.

The obvious battle facing each and every coach across the country is the pressure to win games. Whether coaching a team of 6 year old beginners or an advanced squad of 13 or 14 year old players, the lure of immediate rewards and associated pressures of winning are a major part of the current environment. So the key question being posed here is “As a coach, is your primary focus on developing players?”.

Here are FOUR possible types of coaches:

1. Developmental Type Coach - knowledgeable, good communicator, can demonstrate techniques and implement appropriate programs, identifies mistakes made by players as good opportunities for them to learn, ultimately understands primary focus is developing players - we need more of these types of coaches, will successfully develop players, they have strong integrity but still need ongoing support
   
2. Volunteer Developmental Type Parent/Coach - most likely a parent of a player in the team, enthusiastic, keen for knowledge - lacks expertise but heart is in the right place, should be offered workshops and education, will also successfully develop players, need more of these types of coaches
   
3. Volunteer ‘Dream Stealer’ Type Parent/Coach - most likely a parent of a player in the team, enthusiastic, uneducated in the developmental aspects of the sport, passionate but caught in the spiral of focusing on winning - misguided and requires immediate mentoring and education, if they are not willing to change then guide them away from coaching young players
   
4. The ‘Dream Stealer’- knowledgeable, but believes that mistakes cost matches, understands what is required to develop young players but consciously decides to focus on winning instead - selfish, ego driven, should not be allowed to coach young players, guide them to coaching adults

Ofcourse there are many other factors involved, however unfortunately if a player has been coached predominantly by Type 3 & 4 coaches above, then more than likely at some stage between 15-17 years of age they will begin to realise that they are falling behind, and that other players are simply more advanced than they are.

This is because when their own coaches were pumping them up to win matches, the other players were immersed in developmental environments where core techniques were developed and mistakes seen as opportunities to learn. The other advancing players had been taught by Type 1 & 2  coaches.

Gerard Houllier (French Football Coach) believed that if a player at 16 years of age didn’t have a satisfactory technique, there was no way of ever catching up.

This is difficult to come to terms with for a young person (and their parents), realising that all the wins, titles and championships amounted to little in the long run. The DREAMS of success also eventually stop. The disillusioned player must move into the next phase of their young adulthood with other goals and focuses.

The goal of a ‘Youth Development Coach’ should be to build a foundation for young players, based on core techniques and game understanding, so that when they reach 15-17 years of age, each individual player has the option of pursuing their chosen sport to the next level. It will then come down to desire, work ethic and willingness to succeed if they are to continue to move forward. Without that core foundation though, the player has little or no option to succeed, the player will more than likely not reach the highest level of their chosen sport. Their Dream has been stolen!!

So are YOU a ‘Dream Stealer’?

By Michael McBride
Managing Director - SportJobs Pty Ltd