I find it ironic that the athletes that are most reluctant to get a coach are often the ones that benefit the most from coaching. A common misconception is that coaching is only for pro athletes. But in reality, any athlete who wants to work toward a goal or reach the peak of their potential can benefit tremendously from the services of a mentor or coach.
Coaches provide a solid foundation for rookie athletes that are so crucial that it could be the determining factor between success and failure in their careers. Coaches are great because they ensure that bad form is not carried ahead. That bad habits are corrected before they lead to failure. Even pro players later in their careers wish they had the privilege of a great coach at the beginning of their careers. So many times they have said ‘if I only knew then, what I know now!’
I once heard a soccer player say: ‘what can a coach do for me that I can’t just read about in a book or on the internet?’ The answer to that question is that a coach tutors you individually. You can’t get that level of training and mentorship by reading a book or watching it on the internet. At best, the most valuable training you would get from those sources is general purpose knowledge.
What a coach can do for you
A private coaching plan is individually specific to an athlete’s training needs. A seasoned coach considers the athlete’s core strengths and flaws, vulnerabilities, attitude, skills, aptitude, training history, records of injuries, personal lifestyle, equipment being used, past and current fitness levels, training goals, nutrition, and a lot of other information you have no idea existed.
In fact, the decision to get a coach or not be likened to the difference between getting a custom-made outfit versus casually selecting one at the thrift store during sales. But what are the benefits of having a good coach? We’ll be looking at that shortly.
Benefits of a Good Coach
Just as entrepreneurs, managers, and business owners hire the services of business development officers or consultants to help them improve on their business models and strategy. Both freshman and pro athletes who want to improve their game can work with a sports coach. The truth is, you can be very, very good at sports, but there will always be better. For you to get better, you need be ready to make some changes, which includes getting some professional help. Below are some of the ways a good coach helps you to be better and in the process achieve your dreams.
Helps you discover your true potential
The right coach asks you the right questions to know more about your motivations, values, strengths, and weaknesses. A good coach can help to ‘peel’ back the many layers to unveil your vision and goals for excellence in life and sports.
Even an athlete who doesn’t have a precise vision of where they want to go. What they want to achieve still has valid dreams, although they may be hidden. The right coach will work with the athlete to reveal those hidden goals and dreams and help him or her to take the right steps at the right time to bring them into reality. Every athlete should have a personal coach or mentor.
Helps Enables Your Vision
You have a vision, but you’re going to need a strategy to achieve it. You might even know where you’re headed, but you’re unsure about how to get there. A good coach will work with you to create a ‘map’ for every step of your journey. Recognizing the milestones along the way, defining the right actions and priorities you’ll need to achieve those milestones. Speak to you in a manner that will keep you focused, motivated and on course toward achieving each goal. While celebrating both the small and big wins as you achieve them.
It’s also great to have a coach because it will help you to know that you’re not alone on your journey; a coach collaborates with you to guide you every step of the way and ensure that you accomplish your vision. Your ultimate success is your coach’s objective.
Can Eliminate Procrastination
Often, athletes have a plan and a vision for their careers, but they can’t achieve it because they keep procrastinating. With them, it’s always ‘tomorrow.’ Tomorrow they will begin practicing. They’re too tired right now. There’s no time right now. It will take such a long time to accomplish that dream. I can’t do it because it’s too expensive.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a million valid excuses one could give. Yet there are no reasons why you shouldn’t pursue your dreams and hope to achieve something in your life.
If you’ve already got a vision and a plan, but can’t find the motivation to begin. A good coach can help you. A good coach helps to identify the obstacles that are standing in the way to achieving your vision. The right coach will help you to develop the psychological and behavioral attitudes that will put you ahead of the competition. Here’s how they do it:
- Your coach finds out what motivates you and what keeps you grounded, and can easily recognize when you’re beginning to slack.
- Keeps you accountable: Probably the most important thing a good coach does for you is to keep you accountable. When you work with a coach, you always get the most unbiased feedback on your performance. Your coach will watch every move you make. They will regularly ask if you’re getting to where you say you really want to go.
As an added benefit you can tap into the wealth of experience of a coach if he or she participated in your particular sport back in the day. You will likely find the advice and tips indispensable in the long run.
Last Words
Sports coaching should be a progressive build up, from workout to workout, week to week, season to season. If your only goal is to achieve general body fitness or gain a better physique, you probably don’t need to get a coach. But if your goals are more specific and geared toward a successful athletic career. A coach can provide the safest, fastest and most efficient route to success.
