Quality of Coaching

A simple way to classify different levels of quality in coaching is using a four point scale:

- great coaching is when the athlete works with the coach to maximize performance and rate of improvement to his or her potential. This involves addressing individual needs, having a comprehensive system and working smartly to optimize results.

- good coaching involves slower but steady progress, with more of a focus on learning the fundamentals. It's certainly possible for a great one-on-one coach to be merely good in a group situation, since his or her attention is divided among many. More likely, you'll have coaches who are very competent at teaching the basics, but less capable of teaching more advanced skills to players that are at that level.

Both of the above are needed in a good program: many good coaches to teach the fundamentals to a wide pool of students and a few great coaches to help the most talented students reach their potential. However, not all coaches fit into the above categories; some are not helpful while others are detrimental.

- There are a few ways in which a coach might not be very helpful. For instance, if the coach gives poor advice that is not congruent with an athlete's way of thinking, that advice will be ignored. Another situation might be a coach that does not organize training and progressions properly, so that progress made in one session is built upon in the subsequent session. Overall, the net gain/loss would be about zero, however if comparisons are made with someone trained by a better coach, this athlete would fall behind in development.

- The worst kind of coach is one that is detrimental to his or her athlete's development. This usually happens when an athlete is forced to train under a particular coach. It could be that the coach that does not understand the management of training volume and intensity, thus leading his or her athlete's into overtraining syndrome. Alternatively, a coach might institute a game plan that is incompatible with an athlete's abilities, leading to frustration in both parties.