Qualities of a good coach?

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I mean all kinds. Rec, H.S., Travel, College.

 

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honesty with both players and parents
GREAT communication skills
ability to motivate the girls
knowledge of the game and ability to break it down and teach it
willing to learn
approachable with a good attitude
be fair

 

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Klump pretty much covered it.

I would add
- "thick skinned"
- integrity
& no police record....

 

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Ditto both of the above.
And adding: positive approach in helping girls adjust their game/skills

 

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honesty with both players and parents
GREAT communication skills
ability to motivate the girls
knowledge of the game and ability to break it down and teach it
willing to learn
approachable with a good attitudebe fair

These, imho, are the 3 most important. The day a coach thinks they know it all, is the day they stop being a good coach! ;&

 

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#1. Able to get the best performance out of the players right now.
#2. Able to use that performance with the best strategy to maximize the success of the team.
#3 Able to get the players to improve the most over a season.
#4. Able to #1-#3 while simultaneously teaching the kids to be competitors AND good people.

 

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Teaching the following and Leading by example

Sportsmanship
Humility
Positive Attitude
Honesty

Definitely must have knowledge of the game and know how to teach the drills that develop the players. Judging success by how much each individual grew and how much the team improved... not focusing on wins and hardware.

I am proud to say my daughter gets all of this from her coaches with Venom!!

 

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These, imho, are the 3 most important. The day a coach thinks they know it all, is the day they stop being a good coach! ;&

I would agree!!!!!

It doesn't matter how good of coach you are, poor communication and dishonesty is the recipe for disaster.

 

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The ability to coach girls, especially teenage girls! Must also be able to keep attitudes in check, bickering to a minimum, competition level up, and keeping it fun for the girls.

 

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Patience

 

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I doubt I would have any criticism of any of the character traits that have or will be posted on this thread. But in addition to all of those, the coaching staff has to have TIME to devote to on-field and off-field activities, especially once the players hit the college exposure stage.

 

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Coaches have three areas of expertise. I think finding a coach that is strong in all three areas is rare.

AREA 1 - GAME MANAGEMENT
The coach can select the best players for the lineup and put them in the position where they can contribute most to the team. The coach can analyze game situations and make offensive and defensive adjustments that maximize the team's chances of success. The coach is versed in "modern methods" and can adapt to take advantage of "standard" situations. (In other words, they may not always bunt with no one out and a runner on first. They may not always pitch out on 0-2. They may not always take on 3-0. They use the abilities of the players on the field to get the best result.) Game management is about getting a bunch of players to play together.

AREA 2 - PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
Remember those players put in the position that "most helps the team?" This coach can explain to the player WHY they are playing outfield when they play second in school ball. This coach deals with differences between players in a fair and personal manner. They do not let groups form that divide the team. They set high and fair standards, communicate them, and expect people to strive to improve. They don't play favorites. They praise much more than they yell. They deal with parents directly and honestly. People management is about creating a team from a bunch of players. A team shares common goals and expectations of each other.

AREA 3 - TEACHING
This coach can take a girl, ask her to play a new position, and transfer all of the skills and knowledge needed for her to be successful. They direct and nurture. They can help players set goals and exceed them. Their goal is not to create softball robots, but intelligent girls who can make great decisions on the field without direction. Players become better people by working with this coach.


Again, finding a person who is good at all of these areas is rare.

 

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DD said
1. Know the game
2. Even tempered
3. Have a will to win
4. Confidence in their team
5. Have a positive attitude

 

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Coaches have three areas of expertise. I think finding a coach that is strong in all three areas is rare.

AREA 1 - GAME MANAGEMENT
AREA 2 - PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
AREA 3 - TEACHING
Again, finding a person who is good at all of these areas is rare.

That's nearly identical to the four points I gave and you can role my #3 and #4 into TEACHING so I would say we agree with what's important.

Most of the rest of what's being put on here isn't valid. Patience, Empathy, Understanding, Fairness, Honesty, Praises more than yells, willingness to learn, are charecteristics of a good person, but not necessarily a good coach.

If you have all these qualities in high doses, but lose games due to your ineptitude at game management, kids play below their ability, and at the end of the year kids skills go backwards rather than forwards your a terrible coach but maybe a great human being.

On the opposite side you have some terrible human beings that are terrific coaches. As with anything else you also have some people that manage to be terrific human beings and coaches and people who are terrible human beings and coaches.

One very successful coach here was known by his players as the BOTB (ba$tard on the bucket, and no it wasn't an affectionate reference) but they played at the limit of their abilities he managed them into wins against better teams and the players all improved in their skills over the course of the season. He's mellowed some over the years and found some balance that has helped him to retain more players over multiple years than he used to (he obviously wasn't everyone's cup of tea )

 

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All of the above. I'm just glad we found that coach this year. It makes a HUGE difference.

 

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I found this to be a good article as to how the athletes view coaching.

This is just part of the article however I would suggest reading the entire article and apply what you deem important.

http://www.google.com/search?q=It%E2%80%99s+Not+What+They+Do%2C+It%E2%80%99s+How+They+Do+It%3A+Athlete+Experiences+of+Great+Coaching+Andrea+J.+Becker&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a

Teach
One of the most basic actions that these great coaches engaged in was teaching. Athletes
discussed how their coaches taught sport skills that were cognitive (strategies, tactics, and
systems of play), physical (fitness, performance techniques, and fundamental game skills),
and mental (focus, imagery, anticipation, and mindset). However, these athletes also
expressed how great coaches actually teach you about life. (p16) [44]. The category of life
skills included values, attitudes, and beliefs. Some of the skills that these athletes learned
were how to deal with pressure, handle adversity, and work with others. They also learned
respect, patience, and self-reliance. Their coaches didn't just teach these skills, they modeled them: "We learned to have a good attitude because coach had a good attitude" (p2).
In addition to modeling behaviors, these great coaches adopted a multi-dimensional
approach to teaching their athletes. Athletes discussed how their coaches used a combination
of verbal, visual, and physical methods: "Some people get it from reading it, some people get
it from the visual, and some people get it from actually doing it, but those are the three ways
[that these coaches] presented it"

 

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I found this to be a good article as to how the athletes view coaching.

This just part of the article however I would suggest reading the entire article and apply what you deem important.

http://www.google.com/search?q=It%E2%80%99s+Not+What+They+Do%2C+It%E2%80%99s+How+They+Do+It%3A+Athlete+Experiences+of+Great+Coaching+Andrea+J.+Becker&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a

Teach
One of the most basic actions that these great coaches engaged in was teaching. Athletes
discussed how their coaches taught sport skills that were cognitive (strategies, tactics, and
systems of play), physical (fitness, performance techniques, and fundamental game skills),
and mental (focus, imagery, anticipation, and mindset). However, these athletes also
expressed how great coaches actually teach you about life. (p16) [44]. The category of life
skills included values, attitudes, and beliefs. Some of the skills that these athletes learned
were how to deal with pressure, handle adversity, and work with others. They also learned
respect, patience, and self-reliance. Their coaches didn't just teach these skills, they modeled them: "We learned to have a good attitude because coach had a good attitude" (p2).
In addition to modeling behaviors, these great coaches adopted a multi-dimensional
approach to teaching their athletes. Athletes discussed how their coaches used a combination
of verbal, visual, and physical methods: "Some people get it from reading it, some people get
it from the visual, and some people get it from actually doing it, but those are the three ways
[that these coaches] presented it"

nice post! Very few have all of these qualities down pat or can deliver them consistantly. Many also are very proficient at lots of the above.

 

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As usual another good post by hitter. In "no particular order" I would add this.

COMMUNICATION: The coach should know their audience. I have seen a lot of 10U coaches talk to their players like they were addressing older girls/adults or coaches that could not model what they were trying to get the players to do and that is just another means of communication.The team members know when a coach is Honest or just giving praise to give praise so get on them when it is needed and give praise when it is deserved.
Use the technology available, all call, email, and IM are all tools that should be use to communicate effectively.

ORGANIZATION: Coaches should "not be playing it by ear". They should have good time management with field activities and know what they want to accomplish at each practice. Equipment, uniform information etc. should never be an issue.

DOCUMENTATION: Goes along with being organized/communication. Have consistent realistic expectations and manage to those expectations. Know how to keep score/stats and other team management paperwork.

BUY IN: The team has to be involved with its success...A good coach can delegate responsibilities to involve team members / other coaches to help with instruction.

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN: As the coach expects their players to be willing to learn new things and be receptive to different ideas they too need to continue to be students of the game. Know the rules, Know Safety, Exchange ideas to make the game enjoyable (do not be boring). At the older ages go to events that will help you help your players achieve their goals.