The Skills & Techniques of a Coach

The skills and techniques of a coach help shape young men and women in all kinds of sports. No matter what the activity is or where it is located, coaches teach players how to perform better on the field of play and in life. If you are interested in a career in coaching, you should allow for instructional time to build up your players mentally and physically.

  1. Develop Motor Plans

    • Motor plans, according to retired football coach and athletic director Kenneth Rippy, are those skills that players can pick up and complete at a moment's notice. "Agility training is important," says Rippy. "Players need to be able to develop quick footwork in conjunction with fast mental response time. Not only because of how it conditions the body to move and respond faster, but also because of how it prepares the mind to work quickly between tasks."

      Rippy used motor plans at the beginning of his instructional time to prepare pupils for the more complex goals at the heart of each practice. "It's essential to schedule quick routines that help your players deal with simple challenges before graduating to the bigger ones," he says.

    Set Instructional Goals

    • Kevin Lea, an award-winning volleyball coach at the secondary-school level in Arkansas, says it's very important to set instructional goals for each practice. "The goals that you set will vary depending on the sport as well as the player. In the beginning, you may have to teach a lot of fundamentals, like how to land an overhead serve. Once you have accomplished this," says Lea, "you can teach kids how to develop plays, set up scoring opportunities and rely on each other to succeed."

      Lea would know. In just his fourth year as a volleyball coach, he took his team, the Lavaca Golden Arrows, to the Arkansas State Championship Finals and placed second overall.

    Working Rewards

    • Rippy emphasizes how vital it is to reward your players for showing poise, intelligence and focus during practices. "It's important, but you have to be careful about how you do it." Rippy advises against choosing "empty rewards," such as shortened practices or days off. "Time off doesn't build skill and preparation."

      Instead, he suggests that you choose activities that your players will look forward to. "For football, I always used a drill called 'Blood Alley,' where the kids would pair up. One did the blocking while the other carried the ball. The defensive pair consisted of a down lineman and a linebacker. Blow the whistle, and let them go at it. The competition was fun and stimulating, and it helped the kids reach that level of aggression I wanted in practice."