How to become a better coach

Marcin Bieniek examines the key factors that will help develop our coaching skills.

As coaches, we care for our players, plan every practice, think about short and long-term goals, create new drills, explain tactics, etc. Most coaches want to develop their skills. We do our best on the court, learn from other coaches, read books and articles, watch videos, etc. We do everything to create an appropriate environment to motivate our players to improve. However, what about us? Do we take care of ourselves in the same way as we care for future stars? Becoming a skilled coach is a long and complicated process, but what should we consider?

Goals

We set goals and measure the progress of our players, and we should establish and measure our goals in the same way. The best way is to write down our short—and long-term goals, but how do we decide on our goals? Firstly, we can evaluate ourselves by focusing on our strengths and weaknesses and considering questions like: "What can I do better?" or "How can I improve as a coach?"

An alternative approach is to ask other coaches or players to evaluate your coaching skills. You may need to create a questionnaire to help them focus on your "What to coach" skills and your "How to coach" skills. Once we have identified some goals to help us develop as coaches, we can consider our short—or long-term objectives. A short-term goal could be observing the tennis stroke several times before providing feedback, and a long-term goal could involve the player in the planning process.

Questions

Open questions about your coaching knowledge and skills can help you identify goals. Consider the question: What would I like to improve? Do you need to consider how I will do this? When do I want to achieve it? What obstacles might I face, and how can I overcome them? What resources and help will I need? Having decided on a goal, you must review progress regularly - daily, weekly, or monthly. Once a goal is achieved, then you can repeat the process.

Learning

My golden rule about learning is that it does not matter if you read a book, participate in a conference, search the web, or talk to another coach. Try to pick up at least one new idea each time.

If you are a good player, you improve by correcting small details, e.g. on the forehand. It might be a slight adjustment of the racquet angle. The same approach applies to developing your coaching skills.

If you are new to coaching tennis, you may read books about coaching and tennis and take many notes. Year by year, book by book, you will find you take fewer notes because of the knowledge you have gained over the years.

I encourage every coach to learn something new every day, whether they have 2 or 20 years of experience. Even one small idea could start a new drill/methodology/approach. The better you are as a coach, your players will be better.

A coach should suggest the right equipment to help players improve their game. For example, a tennis ball machine can help a player improve their accuracy and speed.

Motivation

Your level of motivation is an essential factor in coaching. When we first start coaching, we are very motivated to develop our skills, but some coaches are still eager to work on the court and develop new skills, while others are there only for the money. You have to find what motivates you to coach and spend as many hours as possible in that environment. If you are losing motivation, change it because it hurts you and your fellow players when you are not motivated. Remember, coaching is a responsible job, and you can bring a smile to a player's face, or you can close the gate to their tennis world forever.

Conclusion

When challenging goals are broken down into realistic steps and then systemically achieved, motivation, commitment, and self-confidence will grow for you and the players you coach.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

BIENIEK, M. (2012) How to become a better coach [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article111.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Marcin Bieniek is a tennis coach from Poland and a former professional player (Polish National Juniors Team). He is a certificated tennis coach by the Polish Tennis Coaching Association and the Professional Tennis Registry. Marcin has worked with many of the top 20 Polish Juniors and 150 players worldwide.


topics A-Z Page Index Article Library Coaching General Young Athletes Literature Reviews Coaching Conditioning Endurance Ergogenic Aids Evaluation Injury Prevention Nutrition Physiology Planning Psychology Skill Development Speed Strength Female Athletes Master Athletes Young Athletes Sports Specific Basketball Bodybuilding Boxing Cycling Golf Rowing Rugby Soccer Squash Swimming Tennis Triathlon USA Football Training Conditioning Endurance Ergogenic Aids Evaluation Injury Prevention Nutrition Physiology Planning Psychology Skill Development Speed Strength Anatomy & Physiology Articles Biomechanics Body Systems Cardiovascular Digestive Endocrine Muscular Neurological Respiratory Skeletal Body Type Energy Systems Maximum Heart Rate Movement Analysis Coaching Articles Assessment Communication Ethics Group Dynamics Methods Philosophy Process Principles Responsibilities Styles Skills & Roles Young Athletes Fitness Development Articles Agility Conditioning Core Stability Endurance Flexibility Skill Speed Strength Training Principles VO2max Fitness Testing Articles Blood Pressure Evaluation Tests Ideal Weight Nutrition Articles Basal Metabolic Rate Eating & Competing Eating Disorders Glycemic Index Healthy Eating Minerals Vitamins Planning Articles Athlete Profiling Creating a Plan LTAD Tapering Warm Up & Cool Down Programs Aqua Training Circuit Training CNS Training Complex Training Fartlek Training Heart Rate Training Hill Training Medicine Ball Training Personal Exercise Plan Plyometric Training Track & Field Training Weight Training Psychology Articles Competitive Anxiety Mental Imagery Relaxation Techniques SCAT Sports Psychology Stress Management TEOSQ Sports American Football Basketball Boxing Cross Country Cycling Fell Running Golf Rowing Rugby Soccer Squash Swimming Tennis Triathlon Ultimate Frisbee Sport Development Funding in Sport History of Sport Olympic Games Sport Structure Sports Injury Articles ACL Cramp Cryotherapy Dehydration Hot & Cold Baths Injury Prevention Muscle Imbalance Over Training Shin Soreness Stitch Sports Merchandise Books & DVD's Clothing & Shoes Training Aids Magazines Track & Field Combined Events Decathlon Heptathlon Hexathlon Octathlon Pentathlon Jumps High Jump Long Jump Pole Vault Triple Jump Running Hurdles Long Distance Middle Distance Sprints Steeplechase Throws Discus Hammer Javelin Shot Putt Track & Field Safety Training Aids Articles Ergogenic Aids Massage Sports Drinks Supplements Website Blog Website Updates Website Information Awards Disclaimer & Copyright Help - where do I find Link Exchange Policy Visitors Comments Visitor Feedback Visitor Statistics Web Master Web Links Coaches Corner Useful Links	How to become a better coach Marcin Bieniek examines the key factors that will help develop our coaching skills. As coaches, we care for our players, plan every practice, think about short and long-term goals, create new drills, explain tactics, etc. Most coaches want to develop their skills. We do our best on the court, learn from other coaches, read books and articles, watch videos, etc. We do everything to create an appropriate environment to motivate our players to improve. However, what about us? Do we take care of ourselves in the same way as we care for future stars? Becoming a skilled coach is a long and complicated process, but what should we consider? Goals We set goals and measure the progress of our players, and we should establish and measure our goals in the same way. The best way is to write down our short—and long-term goals, but how do we decide on our goals? Firstly, we can evaluate ourselves by focusing on our strengths and weaknesses and considering questions like: "What can I do better?" or "How can I improve as a coach?" An alternative approach is to ask other coaches or players to evaluate your coaching skills. You may need to create a questionnaire to help them focus on your "What to coach" skills and your "How to coach" skills. Once we have identified some goals to help us develop as coaches, we can consider our short—or long-term objectives. A short-term goal could be observing the tennis stroke several times before providing feedback, and a long-term goal could involve the player in the planning process. Questions Open questions about your coaching knowledge and skills can help you identify goals. Consider the question: What would I like to improve? Do you need to consider how I will do this? When do I want to achieve it? What obstacles might I face, and how can I overcome them? What resources and help will I need? Having decided on a goal, you must review progress regularly - daily, weekly, or monthly. Once a goal is achieved, then you can repeat the process. Learning My golden rule about learning is that it does not matter if you read a book, participate in a conference, search the web, or talk to another coach. Try to pick up at least one new idea each time. If you are a good player, you improve by correcting small details, e.g. on the forehand. It might be a slight adjustment of the racquet angle. The same approach applies to developing your coaching skills. If you are new to coaching tennis, you may read books about coaching and tennis and take many notes. Year by year, book by book, you will find you take fewer notes because of the knowledge you have gained over the years. I encourage every coach to learn something new every day, whether they have 2 or 20 years of experience. Even one small idea could start a new drill/methodology/approach. The better you are as a coach, your players will be better. A coach should suggest the right equipment to help players improve their game. For example, a tennis ball machine can help a player improve their accuracy and speed. Motivation Your level of motivation is an essential factor in coaching. When we first start coaching, we are very motivated to develop our skills, but some coaches are still eager to work on the court and develop new skills, while others are there only for the money. You have to find what motivates you to coach and spend as many hours as possible in that environment. If you are losing motivation, change it because it hurts you and your fellow players when you are not motivated. Remember, coaching is a responsible job, and you can bring a smile to a player's face, or you can close the gate to their tennis world forever. Conclusion When challenging goals are broken down into realistic steps and then systemically achieved, motivation, commitment, and self-confidence will grow for you and the players you coach. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: BIENIEK, M. (2012) How to become a better coach [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article111.htm [Accessed About the Author Marcin Bieniek is a tennis coach from Poland and a former professional player (Polish National Juniors Team). He is a certificated tennis coach by the Polish Tennis Coaching Association and the Professional Tennis Registry. Marcin has worked with many of the top 20 Polish Juniors and 150 players worldwide.