WHY COACHES EDUCATION?
By Peter Davis, Ph.D.
USOC’s Director of Coaching and Sport Sciences

Most experts agree that in order to have a successful team, or athlete or even a successful (national) sport system, you must have at least two essential ingredients – good athletes and good coaches. At different levels of sport performance, there are other ingredients that contribute to performance; however, these good athletes and good coaches are essential and undeniable.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions (and probably some truths) about the state of coaching in the U.S. Some people argue that U.S. coaches are not as well educated as coaches in other parts of the world. The paradox is that in the U.S. there are probably more opportunities and locations to learn the science and art of coaching than in most other countries (maybe that’s another myth and misconception!!).

Nearly every NGB has some level of coach education, and there are many private organizations and academic institutions that offer courses and/or resources to enable coaches to improve their skills. Many people cite the common belief that the quality of coaching has declined with the decline of Physical Education courses in school – both at the K-12 level and at the collegiate level. Certainly, coaches at all levels are now being drawn from many backgrounds and all areas of the community – not just the ranks of Physical Education specialists. In the interests of diversity and creativity this may be a good thing – but if our grassroots and/or “career” coaches are not getting the physical education background as they did in the past, where do they learn their trade…and why should they?

This article looks at several key areas relevant to the issue of coach education and why it is important for coaches to be better prepared and better educated. What are the USOC and NGBs doing in the area of coach education? Where is coach education going in the future?

If you are a coach reading this you might be thinking “I know what I need to know to coach”, or “I don’t have time to take courses”, but think about that. Do you really know everything you need to know (at your level of coaching)? Are you really the best you can be? Or, you might say “well, maybe I’m not the best coach in the world, but I’m good enough for these kids, so I don’t need to take any more courses.”

Think about the corollary of that statement. If you are reading this you probably are a coach of an individual athlete(s) or team. Why do you coach them? Why do they come to practice?

So, they can get better, of course. What would your response be if your team or one of your athletes said “I am as good as I am, I don’t need to improve, I don’t need to learn any new skills or practice anything, all I really need to do is turn up"? Your first response would probably involve some shock and disappointment. You would probably talk to them about the need to continually improve yourself, the value of using sport to grow and learn, their responsibility to themselves and the team. Even if the they were Michael Jordan, they would still be working on new things, learning what they don’t know, and improving their weaknesses (note: that’s why he is Michael Jordan).

How could you possibly be a coach and think that education and improvement is not important? In a previous Olympic Coach article, I addressed the question of how do you know whether you are doing a good job? How do you evaluate yourself? What is your learning style and process?

Part of the answer to that is what have you done to learn about your sport and your “profession” and your own coaching skills. What have you done to improve your “non Xs and Os” skills? I am talking about attributes such as your leadership skills, your communication skills, and your feedback skills? Just as it is important for a successful CEO, a successful doctor or a successful teacher to learn the skills of their trade, and update themselves on a regular basis, it is important for coaches to do the same at every level.

What things are the USOC and the NGBs doing to help coaches become better educated? We both take this issue very seriously – we are both committed to developing more coaches in the U.S. and better educated coaches. Over the past several years, we have conducted several meetings with NGB Coach Education officers and other key stakeholders in the coach education process, to determine what we need to do to improve the coach education process. The two key factors in an effective coach education program are CONTENT and DELIVERY.

The content must be up to date, “level appropriate” and comprehensive; i.e. not just the latest drills and Xs and Os. It must also include aspects of the Sport Sciences, Sports Medicine, Technology, Training Theory and so on, as well as the various aspects of the “art” of coaching. Things like (but not limited to) communication skills, leadership skills, how and when to give effective feedback, ethics and values, coaching styles for different cultures and genders, and the place of sport in the social structure.

Recently, several key organizations that are involved in the coach development and coach education process formed a National Coaching Coalition. The organizations initially involved include: the USOC, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, National Recreation and Parks Association, YMCA, National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). We hope that other organizations will join us soon.

There are a number of things that the Coalition plans to do to enhance the status of coaching as a profession, but one of them relates to the adoption of common standards for coach education. NASPE has developed a set of standards that the Coalition believes should be endorsed as the common standard for coach education programs in the U.S. This is important to ensure that coaches in all sports are receiving consistent and comprehensive training.

The other critical area of coach education is the delivery mechanism. Many NGBs are upgrading their programs to include all the avenues available to them – books, video, face-to-face teaching, CDRoms, DVD and the giant (and most expensive) of them all … e-learning. In today’s society, access to appropriate programs must be quick and easy. Most NGBs are moving towards e-learning as the means to achieve this – but given the “physical nature” of sport and coaching we must remember that a coach education experience can’t all be done in front of a computer. Hybrid courses, combining e-learning with CDs, DVDs, books and face-to-face teaching and demonstration are the most effective ways to deliver the content.

The future of coach education
In a previous paragraph, I mentioned the phrase, the “coaching profession”. Is it a profession? There are many people who get paid for what they do. There are associations of different types and groups of coaches. Is it really a profession in the true sense like a teacher or a doctor or a lawyer? How can we call coaching a profession when there is no consistent way to educate or develop or train coaches, no mandatory requirements or minimal standard of preparation and very low ratios of practicing coaches to “formally educated coaches” (i.e. coaches who have had some level of training)?

If coaching is to develop beyond the level of volunteers (someone who can fill in for the season), who gets paid virtually nothing to fulfill their function or someone who gets no respect and is not considered a valuable and valid part of the sport and athlete development process, then we must move towards a higher standard.

Coach education programs need to be consistent and of a high quality. Delivery mechanisms must be more readily available. Some minimal level of education and accreditation must become mandatory – either at a federal or state level. A national association should exist to represent and advocate for the interests and protection of ALL coaches at ALL levels – not only in fragmented and unconnected groups.

We must recognize that what coaches do is a unique and valuable activity and important in our society at all levels – from youth development to improved national health and quality of life. We must recognize that there is a unique body of knowledge necessary for coaches to do their job. We must develop the means to standardize that body of knowledge, test the knowledge and ensure that all practicing coaches are well trained in that body of knowledge.

In the not too distant future, through the work of the National Coaching Coalition and the NGBs, there will be a system that requires all coaches above certain levels to be trained and certified. There will be a national professional body that represents all coaches (as well as sport and regional specific associations) and oversees coaching as a true profession. We still have a long way to go to get there – but through the work of many we are moving closer towards that. It starts with every individual coach. We all must value and respect our “profession” and recognize that our athletes deserve more than just turning up. We must know our sport, learn what we need to know and educate ourselves. Are you the Michael Jordan of coaching? Well you won’t be unless you keep learning.