What Every High School Athlete Wants from a Coach

Lessons can be learned by adults, too.  And in athletics sometimes coaches forget that they are dealing with youngsters who are committing themselves to the team and the coach.  Every coach should at times step back and consider how he or she is developing athletes, not just the W’s and L’s, because in the long run, a team’s record matters little compared to the type of experience athletes have and what they take away in life lessons.  Hard work, dedication and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the betterment of the team are characteristics, to some degree, which every athlete offers a coach.  It’s how a coach recognizes those efforts which can often mean a world of difference to athletes as they move on to their next stage of life and try their best to carry on that coach’s legacy of teaching, instructing and competing.  Here, then, are the bare basics all athletes want, and need, from their coaches:  

Fairness:  No player wants to be passed over because another, less talented athlete is given preferential treatment or the benefit of the doubt.  Athletes want to be evaluated and earn playing time based on skill and results, not on favoritism. 

A chance to prove themselves:  Size really should not matter when it comes to high school, club and travel organization athletics, especially when a smaller athlete can do the job as well, if not better, than a teammate who is put at the top of the depth chart because of size.   

Clear direction and honest feedback:  Athletes want details and they want to know where they stand with a coach.  Giving athletes a clear path and then timely, unfettered input on their efforts allow athletes to adjust and work harder toward reaching the coach’s expectations. 

Where the line is drawn:  Behavioral goals regarding practice, the classroom, games or away from the team provide athletes with the boundaries they need to become responsible.  Without these laid out in exact terms, young athletes can go beyond their perceived limits and cause damage to themselves and their team.   

Appreciation:  Winning is important, but so is giving everything of oneself for the coach and team.  A coach that recognizes one hundred percent effort is the coach who will get it time and again, regardless of the contest’s outcome.

Encouragement:  Few things motivate athletes like getting a pat on the back or a coach telling the team what an athlete brings to them.  Athletes want to be pushed while constantly being told that they have it within themselves to go the extra mile.