If you want to pursue a career in sports coaching, you should know a few things about this lucrative and rewarding industry.

Being a sports coach is not just a job.

Coaching gives you the unique opportunity to lead and influence other people while guiding them to achieve their goals.

Below are some of the unique qualities that you need to succeed as both a coach and a leader.

Teaching and Communications Skills

As a coach, you are a teacher, so you need excellent communications skills to put your ideas across to the athletes you are coaching. You should not only teach the fundamentals of the sport, but also the fundamentals of life.

Organizational Ability

Being a coach means you are a manager. In this case, you are managing people, so you need excellent organizational skills and administrative ability. These qualities will help you plan your strategy and achieve your goals.

Sport Skills and Tactics

Sports skills and tactics are vital to success for coaches. It helps if you played the game you are coaching because this will help you empathize with the athletes you are training. It also helps if you can come up with great tactics and strategies to achieve your objectives. In cases where things are not working out on the playing field or indoor venue, you need to think on your feet and re-strategize.

The Ability to Evaluate

Evaluation skills are vital to coaching success. After each coaching session, you should evaluate player abilities and strategy effectiveness. This way, you can tell where you are doing well and where you have to work harder.

Leadership Role for Sports Coaches

Being a coach means being a leader on and off the pitch. For this reason, you should be a role model to the athletes you are training. Develop your own philosophy, and work in accordance with your ethics. Work hard, set a good example to your athletes and do not condone laxity or unethical behavior.

To learn more about how to be an effective coach and leader, check out this educational resource, created by Ohio University’s Online Master in Coaching Education program:


Ohio University Online