Why not coaches too?

I recently read an excerpt from Sum it Up, the latest book by former Tennessee basketball coach, Pat Summitt.  Who, in case you've been living under a rock, or a mountain of rocks with a giant glacier on top of them, is one of the best coaches of all time.  I found this gem of a quote:    

"Coaching isn't social work, but it's more than just a game-it's a heartfelt vocation in which you are powerfully bonded to students.  Often, they need you more than they know they need you.  It's a job in which you grab kids by the arm and pull them out of their emotional fires, and show them what real self-worth looks like."

 And of course, I went straight over to Amazon and bought the book.  I mean, why haven't I already read this one twice?!

Coaches have a vehicle to teach character and develop kids for good and bad in ways that sometimes academic teachers don't.  While teachers and college professors are required to get a degree, in teaching, numerous certifications and continue their professional development in a formal way throughout their careers, it is acceptable for coaches to use on the job training or past playing experience as their certification.  I sat through English, history and math classes for several years but that doesn't necessarily qualify me to educate our future generation on the proper use of the comma.  You're reading my writing, so you're likely experiencing that by now.

This is not to say that those in the coaching profession don't try to develop themselves.  The best are absolutely avid lifelong learners.  There are plenty of growth opportunities.  There are countless clinics and workshops I myself have gone to for years hungry to hear the best drill design methods, most effective statistic for predicting winning strategies and the like.  Some are even great, some have seemingly evolved into a networking first party where many roam around looking for the coolest coach to stand next to.  Coaches need more.  Coaches at all levels should be provided more opportunities to grow in areas like teaching techniques, motor skill development, communication, character development, diplomacy, public speaking, parent group training, etc.

If sports are going to continue as they are, the coaches who get roped in because no one else would do it must have a place to turn to develop their skills.  Players, who may have had great potential, are being driven from the sport because of under-skilled coaches who made playing the sport miserable.  Meanwhile good coaches are being driven out of coaching at an alarming rate because of overzealous parents who didn't answer the call when no one would fill the post but seem to have all the best ideas from the stands.

We should do better.   We can do better.

I want to see coaches from all sports, schools and levels come together for real collaboration.  I want coaches to be required to attend formal workshops to improve in areas that affect their players as people, not just the play on the court.  I want athletic directors and the administrators above them to recognize coaching education as the most pressing resource and help to fund it.  I want college administrators to demand that candidates have more than name recognition or recent playing experience to be considered for their positions.  I want parents and athletes to expect and demand qualified and educated coaches, just as they would expect it from every classroom teacher.  Character development is getting lost in sport, the time to address it has come.

If you are a coach or athletic director and are interested in hosting a workshop, please email tbeeckman@gmail.com

Happy Coaching!