How to Evaluate a Coach

Coaching is a big responsibility. Like many positions where there is a high level of responsibility, there is a high level of expectation. Coaches need to be effective, ethical, good motivators, and they generally need to meet these elements to the satisfaction of their players, the parents of the players (if applicable), and the fans of the team they are coaching for. Because all of these aspects are hard to quantify, it can be very helpful to develop an evaluation process in order to understand how all of the members of the equation feel about the coach in question.

Instructions

    • 1

      Assess the opinions of the players. Set up a questionnaire that asks for the level of satisfaction on a five-point scale. Include follow-up questions regarding issues you are concerned with, such as: how open the coach is to questions; how available the coach is for extra one-on-one time; and what are the player's favorite and least favorite aspects of the coach's performance.

    • 2

      Obtain feedback from the parents of the players. Oftentimes children will be more vocal at home about how they feel about their coach. Because of this, getting feedback from parents might allow you to learn not only the parents' opinions, but more about the players' thoughts as well. Parents can be polled regarding how well they feel the coach communicates, how their child has blossomed or withdrawn under the coach, and other points of view.

    • 3

      Look at the performance of the team. Not all wins and losses can be attributed to a coach, but if a team has been winning all season until a new coach came in, it might be necessary to investigate the cause for that. If victories have not increased but the team is more focused, driven and is working harder, the case might be that the coach is heading the team in the right direction and just needs more time to work with the players.