COACHES
"What Makes a Good Coach?"
"What makes a good coach" comes up often in my journey. Especially when I meet with a new coach. Maybe it’s something you’ve been thinking about on a personal level, or trying to find the answer to.
The cliché answers come up:
- Commitment
- Passion
- Leadership
- Communication
The list goes on and on.
Yet the answer is so much simpler than this.
“Ask the athletes that are being coached”
-Anthony Butkovic on "What Makes a Good Coach?"
My Response is Always the Same.
As a coach you can have championships, you can have the best plan, or the best knowledge of the sport. None of it matters if your athlete can’t stand you. I understand that there are different coaching personalities and styles. Some work with some athletes and not with others, but let’s look deeper than that.
I have spoken with many athletes where they didn’t like their coach but they respected them. They can call him an asshole, but they will still shake their hand and thank them.
If your focus is on the “W” and not the athlete, you may get lucky and get yourself a victory, but how much did you actually influence them? If your focus is on how to develop the athlete for success you will see amazing results. An athlete wants someone that is going to help them get to where they want to go by giving them the necessary tools to do so.
As a coach you are coaching not just the skill, but the person. The mind, body, and emotional/spirit.
Butkovic Strategic Performance
Maybe you came here because you don't have an issue with coaching an athlete or creating a culture but the lifestyle of a coach can be demanding for so many reasons. If you're struggling with:
- Work/Life Balance
- Preparing for the game
- Motivating yourself/athlete
- Schedule
- Media
- Isolation
- Critics
I can help you with all of this. Whatever it is that's troubling you about what you do, we can walk through it together.
With Butkovic Strategic Performance I work with you to create the culture within your organization or personal coaching style to facilitate growth of the athlete for success. There is a level of love for the game and the person that makes the coach/athlete relationship so special.
I will help you understand your athlete. What needs do they have that extend past the sport. How to address a plateau in performance.
Imagine being able to understand the athlete and being able to provide the best result. If you think about it, who’s responsibility is it to ensure the success of the athlete? It’s yours.
If you’re showing a player something and they aren’t producing the result, then change your strategy until they get it. Just because “this is the way I’ve always done it” isn't an excuse. A good coach can coach those like themselves, a great coach can coach anybody.
Did you know Vince Lombardi the famed NFL coach began as a basketball coach? He said as long as he understood the basics he could make an athlete great. I have been around coaches with little knowledge, but the basics and created superstars. I've also been around knowledgeable coaches that couldn't get their athletes to do a thing properly. That is on the coach.