Blog

February 4, 2018

"Coaching is just like playing...if you're not trying to get better, you're not going to get better."

There are a lot of things I love about coaching.

It's my favorite thing in sports. I love talking about it, watching it, hearing about it and learning as much as I can about coaching.

What I love most, I think, is that every game you ever coach is on your record -- forever.

No matter the sport, if you're the coach of record that day -- or night -- you're the coach of record forever.

Players don't typically face the same sort of scrutiny.

If you're the coach of a basketball team and your team loses 74-64, the record will always show you coached a team that lost on that date, 74-64. You get the "L" on your record.

If you're a player on that same basketball team who scored 18 points and pulled down 8 rebounds, YOUR record -- the one that shows up most in the history books -- says you scored 18 points and recorded 8 rebounds.

The coach gets the loss. The players get the stats.

Of course, it works the other way, too. The coach gets the "W" when the team wins and the players still get the stats.

I've always loved that about coaching. The record of YOUR team is YOUR record.

But there's something else interesting about coaching and playing.

If you've ever played any kind of sport, you'll understand what I'm referencing when I provide these details.

We'll use baseball as an example here. You're a pitcher. At age 16, you can throw the ball 73 miles per-hour. You have one basic pitch...a fastball.

At age 18, you can throw it 83 miles per-hour. You go to a summer camp and one of the instructors teaches you how to throw a breaking ball.

At age 20, you can throw is 93 miles per-hour. Someone on your college coaching staff teaches you to throw a slider.

You're growing physically.

You're getting stronger.

And you're learning how to throw different pitches.

In short: You're getting better.

You've probably played a sport or two where you saw obvious improvement in your own game or talents. Sometimes it happens quickly, sometimes it takes a while.

But the general idea is simple: Athletes try to get better. They work at it. They practice hard. They know practicing more is the best way to improve.

But how does a coach get better?

You can get better players. Sometimes that helps your record improve.

But as a coach, how do YOU improve?

Sure, you can learn more about the X's and O's of your sport. That effort alone can show improved results for your team.

But the real challenge for coaches who want to improve is doing it without focusing on X's and O's.

Or doing it without the aid of better players.

How does a coach improve -- as a coach -- without the benefit of better players?

That's an interesting question, right?

Here's the answer: As a coach, you get better by studying people.

It's not simple. But that's a simple answer.

You study people. You learn more about what makes them succeed. And you learn more about how they react to coaching and teaching.

That's what we do here at Cohereo Coaching.

We show you how to improve as a coach.

You'll have a better perspective of how good you already are. And you'll know more about yourself and your love for coaching as well.