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THE ROLE OF THE ASSISTANT COACH
by Tiffany
Quilter, Assistant Track and Field
Coach
 You
may have heard the saying, 'beside every
good husband there is a good wife."
Well, the same goes for coaching, beside
every good head coach there are good
assistant coaches. Assistant coaches
are not always recognized or remembered
by the public, but the athletes will
remember us! Most head coaches have
also experienced being an assistant
coach at some point in their career
and can relate to the situation.
I am into my fifth year of coaching
high school track and field as a throws
coach (shot put, discus, and javelin).
To many of you I am just a beginner,
but to me it feels like I have been
doing this forever. I still have a lot
to learn, but hopefully I can share
something with you that might be of
interest.
I started off my athletic career in
middle school, and then continued competing
in high school and college, and soon
after that I got a job as an assistant
track coach. During my competitive career
I had two different coaches who both
had a very big impact on me, both personally
and athletically. One was 70 and one
was 28, both were excellent coaches.
Another thing these coaches had in common
was that they were "assistant"
coaches. In this article I want to share
my insight into the role of an assistant
coach.
There are several core values that
make a great coach; these include integrity,
honesty, trust and loyalty. Each of
these traits are important in setting
a good example for your athletes and
creating a positive team environment.
Along with an understanding of the sport,
these traits can help create winning
teams. By exemplifying these traits,
you will help to inspire and motivate
young athletes to become great adults
and possibly future coaches. I feel
that the two coaches that I mentioned
earlier played a large role in my decision
to continue my athletic career and become
a coach. Both of these people set great
examples of the traits mentioned previously.
As a High School athlete, my throwing
coach (the 70 year old) told me that
I would only achieve as much success
as I was willing to work for. That one
statement of encouragement taught me
a very important lesson about integrity.
I have, and will continue to tell this
same statement to my athletes so that
hopefully they also will learn the importance
of hard work and personal responsibility.
Integrity
is much more than just standing up for
what you believe; it is an internal
characteristic that is expressed daily
through thoughts and actions. As a result
of encouragement I have seen athletes
take full responsibility for their workouts.
Some of them I still have to push and prod, but those individuals have not yet had the opportunity to see what they can fully achieve. My hope for
these athletes is that after they are
done with high school athletics, they
will be able to continue to learn the
importance of integrity and express
it in their work.
As an assistant coach I have opportunity
to work with many athletes on a one-to-one
basis every day; each teaching moment
gives me a chance to share the importance
of integrity.
Just last week I witnessed one of my
athletes showing integrity and honesty
in an action. This athlete was high
jumping, and the event judge said that
they had already cleared the height
the bar was set at. This athlete knew
that that wasn't right, because they
had only attempted once and missed.
This athlete took the right course and
said they didn't clear it. The event
judge even asked twice, are you sure
you don't want to just go with it and
try at the next height? Still the response
was 'no,' and this athlete continued
to show integrity and jumped again.
It is moments like these that I am proud
to be a coach!
Trust
and loyalty
are also important characteristics to
show to my athletes and fellow coaches.
While I was competing in college I learned
that the athlete-coach trust relationship
is a very important part of any athletic
program. Again, from my throwing coach
(the 28 year old this time), I learned
a very valuable lesson. We were at a
track meet out of town, and we had stopped
to have dinner as a team and some of
the team members were teasing me (not
a big deal…I was the new freshman),
but I didn't really know how to respond
to the situation. My coach made the
effort to stand up for me, and tell
the others that that was enough and
it had gone far enough.
Even though this coach probably didn't
know, that made a big difference in
the level of trust that I had for that
coach. Every day we need to be sure
that we show our athletes that they
can trust us. There may be times that
you acquire information from an athlete
that needs to be shared with others,
but there is a way to do this and still
maintain trust. That is where the word
loyalty comes in. Beware of gossip,
especially with young athletes, and
make sure that if there are things that
need to be shared that it is taken to
the proper people and no one else.
Along with coaching athletes, assistant
coaches have several responsibilities
that are not regularly discussed in
"how to coach" conversations.
There are a few things that I have learned
over the past few years that have helped
me get through some interesting situations;
first we need to be understanding,
second we need to be open-minded,
and third we need to be consistent
and reliable.
The head coaches that we are working
for have many other responsibilities
as well, but these three things have
'stood out' for me.
Understanding is a term that
I would use to describe someone who
is willing to listen (whether it is
a coach or an athlete) and be able to
give advice when needed. There is a
large degree of understanding needed
as an assistant coach because we may
not always agree with what the head
coach has decided is best for the team.
This is where a lot of conflict can
arise. Understanding does not always
mean that we just sit back and go with
the flow. As an assistant coach it is
not our responsibility to be defiant,
but it is our responsibility to share
our concerns and possibly give suggestions
when we feel it is necessary. However,
there are polite and proper ways to
do this.
You wouldn't want to go up to your
head coach in the middle of practice,
while all the athletes are there, and
have a heated discussion over a controversy.
Wait until practice is over, or try
to set up a meeting to discuss the situation
in a more controlled environment. All
coaches want to be the best at what
they do, and sometimes this can come
across as arrogant, but if we try to
be understanding of others' situations,
it is a lot easier to deal with problems
and create an environment of trust and
success.
Following understanding, we can also
try to be open-minded. Although
we may not agree with a practice plan
or strategy, give it a try. Sometimes
when others bring their knowledge and
expertise to the table, great things
can be accomplished as a team. Also,
when the final decision has been made
by the head coach (given that it is
not unethical), it is important to stand
beside them and support them in the
decision. Open-mindedness also applies
to the athletes. If they come up with
a great idea, don't brush it aside because
they are young. I have had some great
workouts come from athlete suggestions.
Don't underestimate these young minds!
Finally, reliability is a
trait that is as important in coaching
as it is in everyday life. This is a
trait that we wear on our sleeves. Other
coaches notice it, parents notice it,
and most importantly our athletes notice
it. I feel that reliability encompasses
all the traits that we develop and express.
If we are reliable and dependable,
we will be valued as outstanding coaches
in any sport. As an assistant coach,
I have learned that I gain the respect
of others when they can rely on me for
anything, when they know that I will
stand up for what I believe, and when
they know that I will be there to support
in any way that I can.
The late John Wooden has been quoted
saying: "[When we are reliable,
others] know that we will make the effort
to do our best, whatever the situation
might be. They know we won't run, cower,
or become paralyzed by fear. They have
learned to count on our consistency
and trustworthiness…People can
bet the farm on us and still be able
to sleep at night. Reliability earns
the respect of those around us."
(Wooden &
Fellowship of Christian Athletes., 2010)
Reference:
Wooden, J., & Fellowship of Christian
Athletes. (2010). The greatest coach
ever : Tony Dungy, David Robinson, Tom
Osborne and others pay tribute to the
timeless wisdom and insights of John
Wooden. Ventura Calif.: Regal.
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