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Coaching: Elite Coach from the RFU

Greatness as a coach = Consistency over time

From the English Rugby Football Union. This is written to apply to sports but the principles may apply to all coaching.

1. Top athletes don’t always make great coaches.

Athletes are selfish, coaches are selfless and show concern for others, great athletes find it difficult to explain.

2. A fascination for the process...

... allows for a real level of detail and study of it.

3. Learn how the top people learn, coach and live their lives.

Make sure you choose the best to learn from. (Case studies at www.daveyhearn.com)

4. Make sure you understand how sport science applies to your sport.

Apply common sense to your sport and make sure knowledge is current

5. A great coach is a psychologist.

Know sport psychology. What do people really want? Identify self-interest and cater for it

6. Have great communication skills

Set a vision and motivate people towards that vision. Improve your communication. Keep meetings short and focused

7. Get general managerial skills

The coach deals with lots of people. The athletes deals with only him or herself. You are judged on how you run practice sessions, set goals, identify KPI’s and keep records. Waste no time in practice. Plan the timeline. (List key decisions/actions in chronological order.)

8. Great coaches are great motivators

Everyone needs motivation (athletes, other coaches, sponsors, etc.) Be a role model. Motivate them to motivate you. Motivation starts with recruitment (raw talent, ambition, self-belief.) Some people just want to appear to be the best - others really want to!

9. Adopt a group training approach

Easier to stay motivated. Competition in practice means less anxiety in actual competition. More heads are better than one. Pool resources. Different people bring different things to the group. Put top juniors with top seniors. Ask what are you bringing to the group?  Implement a COMMANDO unit - a small group of really determined people who seek success.

10. Miscellaneous

Make allies as a coach and do favours for others (to cash in later.) Be nice to argue with (allow others to save face.) Pay attention to the sergeants not just the generals! Develop unofficial channels of information. Show NO uncalculated displays of emotion. Be willing to delegate/.The devil is with the DELAY as well as the detail (avoid distractions.) Keep it fun, maintain a sense of humour and let the coach be the butt of the joke!

From Bill Endacott - USA Olympic canoe coach, former marine officer, and former advisor to President Clinton.

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