The Influence of Coaches on Players

If you ask anyone that has ever played sports, most will tell you about a coach that has had some sort of influence their life.  Some are positive and unfortunately some are negative.  As an aspiring coach, I was influenced and encouraged by a former coach to pursue a career in coaching.  My coach, a former Navy Seal, had a positive influence that taught my teammates and me lessons in life that are more relevant today than they ever have been.  He was all about doing things as a team and no one person is more important than the next.  This involved things like each player wearing the same thing to practice.  If it was 35 degrees and someone didn’t have their team sweatshirt, then no one could wear their sweatshirt for that practice.  This helped individual players to be more responsible and for the team to hold each other accountable for their actions on and off the field.  

A coach has a powerful influence on a player’s athletic career.  If a player has a negative experience with a coach, there is a good chance that player is not going to continue playing that sport.  Jim Krauel of NFHS says, “If the coach sets a negative example by behaving in an inappropriate or immature fashion, he or she has done a great disservice to the athletes, the program and his or her reputation.”  This statement could not be any truer.  How many times have we gone to a youth sporting event and watched as a coach or a parent spirals out of control in the stands or on the field. 

The relationship between the coach and the parents is also extremely important in the player’s development.  Coaches and parents that are on the same page can have a very positive influence on the player’s performance and overall experience.  Ben Stephenson researched youth soccer players and found that players who experienced coaches (and parents) that were critical of poor performance had a negative influence on the player’s overall attitude.  Coaches that encouraged players had a more positive effect on the player’s social environment on the team. 

All in all, a coach’s influence not only affects the play on the field but also provides a positive social environment for the players.