What makes a “good coach” good?

Excerpts from Splash, USA Swimming Magazine

“There are examples of [men and women] who have trained themselves to be coaches, [who have] devoted their entire lives to that end and failed miserably.” Doc Counsilman

In an address at the American Swimming Coaches Association World Clinic in 1971, James “Doc” Counsilman, arguably America’s best swim coach in the modern era (two-time Olympic coach with 6 consecutive NCAA titles while coaching at Indiana), came up with nothing more definitive of what makes a “good coach” good than what he labeled the “X Factor”. He concedes that many traits and abilities go into the making of a good coach—intelligence, conscientiousness, enthusiasm and experience, to say nothing of technical knowledge. But none of them matter much if the coach doesn’t have the “X Factor”. He defined the “X Factor” not as a special ability to motivate, but rather the insight to “recognize the important things and work on them and minimize the unimportant.”

What is on your list of important things? Unimportant things?

Buddy Aaarcke, who recently retired after a 50 year coaching career at the club and college levels puts it bluntly: “[Being a good coach] isn’t that complicated. It’s about getting people off their butts and making them work hard. Great coaches, like great leaders in any field, have the ability to inspire.”

Do you agree with this statement? If yes, how do you inspire your athletes to work hard?

If you disagree, what is your definition of a “good coach”?

According to Brent Rushall, professor emeritus in the Department of Exercise and Nutritional Studies at San Diego State University (and who studied under Counsilman in the 60’s), the “X Factor” of coaching is overrated. “The X Factor is the personality side of coaching, and it’s overplayed.” He believes that coaches have far less sway over athletes than is commonly accepted. “The strongest motivators are the athletes themselves,” he says. “The second strongest is peer pressure.” Rushall argues that the coach’s role should be viewed as a consultant who dispenses the latest research and findings to guide the athlete through his/her training using the body of scientific research as a basis.

What role do you think you play in your athletes’ experience in your sport?

Are you a motivator or a “consultant”?

How do you balance coaching technique with the affective side of coaching?

Rob Goldberg, the head men’s swimming coach at the University of Connecticut, takes a practical approach to coaching. “Many [swimmers] don’t care about the science. They just want to swim fast.” He recently hired two young coaches who, as he put it, seemed very impressed with the science of swimming. But he didn’t hire them for their technical skills; rather he told them he valued them as “coaches who could relate to the swimmers.”

He goes on to say, “I probably would have told them the same thing 30 years ago. The best performances come out of a mutual trust between the coach and the athlete. Experienced coaches instinctively know that it goes beyond science. You don’t coach swimming. You coach people who are swimmers.”

Are you someone who can relate to your athletes?

Do you coach your sport, or do you coach people who play your sport?

Athletes may have their own ideas of what makes a good coach good. Brian Goodell, a world class USA swimmer from the 70’s, reflects on his coaches and what made them successful. (Goodell trained under 3 of America’s best coaches: Mark Schubert at Mission Viejo, George Haines and Ron Ballatore at UCLA; Schubert and Haines have both been the USA team coach for several Olympics, and Ballatore won an NCAA title at UCLA.) Goodell states, “The most important thing is to get the [athletes] to buy into your methods, convincing them that if they follow what you are doing, they will [succeed]. All three [Schubert, Haines and Ballatore] were very different in their approach…but what they did worked.”

How do you get your athletes to “buy into your program”?

Describe a coach or coaches who you believe are successful. What is that “works” for them?

Dana Kirk, a member of the USA National Swim Team and senior at Stanford University, reflects on the importance of the relationship between athlete and coach. She highlights four key qualities of a good athlete-coach relationship: trust, commitment, communication and confidence. “Such relationships can only be created by [athletes] willing to trust their coach’s advice, commit to the program they are in, communicate their goals and develop a positive, winning attitude. [Athletes] willing to do this will not only improve…but also create a closer bond with their coach.”

Do you create an environment that promotes a good athlete-coach relationship in your program? How?