Learning how to teach is an ongoing process. Often teachers receive formal training in pedagogical methods while attending an educational institution. They then continue to develop their teaching talents through a variety of methods, including discussion with teachers, resources on best practice (i.e. books, videos, websites), observation of teaching styles, and hands-on experience (Cassidy, Jones, & Potrac, 2016).
In the world of athletics, coaches are teachers. The playing field is the classroom for instruction, where coaches teach technical and tactical skills (Martens, 2012). Interestingly, the process of becoming a coach does not always provide much training on how to teach. Coaches are left to learn on the job, frequently through trial and error (Van Mullem & Van Mullem, 2014).
When I accepted my first college teaching position, the only knowledge I had about how to teach came from my own classroom experiences as a student and working as an assistant coach. Having to learn on the job, I began to grasp that many of the same principles I had been using as a coach applied in the classroom. I also began to appreciate some of the lessons about teaching I gleaned from working with great teachers of sport. In this essay, I’m going to share three lessons I learned from coaches on how to work with and teach students. They include: 1) caring, 2) being consistent, and 3) believing in people.
Caring
Andy Carrier spent 25 years as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Ottawa University in Ottawa, KS. He finished his career as the all-time winningest coach in school history, which included five NAIA National Tournament appearances (Ottawa University, 2016).
I spent three seasons as an assistant under Coach Carrier. Throughout that time I can’t recall a student-athlete ever feeling mistreated. A player may have been disgruntled for a lack of playing time or because they were challenged in practice, but they never questioned that Coach Carrier cared about them. He made time to get to know his student-athletes and what was going on in their lives. First and foremost, he kept winning in perspective and never let it cloud his judgment in making decisions regarding what was best for his student-athletes.
Upon Coach Carrier’s retirement, long-time assistant coach Aaron Sienbenthall said the following about Coach Carrier’s ability to make all team members feel valued.
“Coach (Carrier) has a knack and a gift of always making sure people feel good about themselves, whether he’s sharing good information or bad information,” Siebenthall said. “At our level, we bring in a wide range of talent as far as recruits. Sometimes there are kids that just aren’t ready to play college basketball, but he tells them that in a way that still makes them feel good about themselves. He’s a tremendous coach and knows the game well. But just the way he treats people is unbelievable (Peterson, 2015, para 8).
Sport environments are places where student-athletes and coaches can connect and build strong relationships. Legendary and Hall of Fame UCLA men’s basketball coach, John Wooden often stated, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” (Wooden & Jamison, 2007, p. 88). While a classroom often fails to mimic the level of commitment and emotional investment witnessed on an athletic field, teachers can still demonstrate that they care by taking the same approach Coach Carrier did. Be open-minded, demonstrate the ability to listen, and make a commitment to learning about each student-athlete as a person.
Being Consistent
Mike Cole paced the sidelines as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Bozeman High School (MT) for 20 seasons, capturing five state championships. I had the opportunity to play for Coach Cole as a student-athlete and then serve as a member of his coaching staff.
During my 10-years associated with the program, the student-athletes could rely on a consistent approach based on specific and clear standards and principles. For example, Coach Cole started every practice by having his student-athletes line-up with their toes on the baseline. Practice would not begin until each student-athlete “toed the line.”
Additionally, much to the chagrin of the local news media, he did not allow student-athletes to speak with reporters after the game because he wanted to limit the extent to which the media focused on individual performances. Some of Coach Cole’s rules may have been unique to his program, but his consistent style and approach is a commonality he shares with credible coaches (Janssen & Dale, 2006).
“They (student-athletes) want to know what to expect from their coaches and the environment in which they are expected to perform. They want consistency and have indicated they respect a coach who is able to provide it for them (p. 181).”
Danny Faaborg, a standout student-athlete for Coach Cole, went on to a successful collegiate basketball career. When asked to reflect on his basketball background, he made the following statement, about playing for Coach Cole and his consistent and disciplined coaching style.
“The way he (Cole) runs practice, it’s almost military-like, with your toes on the baseline and the way he does things. It’s not a military atmosphere, but he’s a nut on discipline, and it teaches you to conform to the program. There are definitely no individuals in his program” (Lamberty, 2003, para 20).
It was not the uniqueness of Coach Cole’s standards that made him a successful coach, but rather his ability to create a consistent environment for student-athletes where the expectations were clear. Coach Cole’s classroom was the basketball court, but frankly a teacher implementing the same consistent approach built on a clear set of expectations will likely find comparable success in the classroom.
Believing in People
Due to the power relationship between the coach and student-athlete (Cassidy et al., 2016), coaches often need to take personal responsibility for connecting with student-athletes and helping them achieve success (Schempp, McCullick, & Mason 2006).
Coach Tom Wood retired after 29 seasons as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Humboldt State University (HSU) in Northern California. He finished as the all-time winningest coach in school history and was inducted into the HSU Hall of Fame in 2010 (Humboldt, 2010). A teacher of the game, Coach Wood had the ability to see in others what they could accomplish. This mindset likely stemmed from how he viewed his role as a coach.
I worked as a graduate assistant coach under Coach Wood and frequently witnessed him tutoring student-athletes in math. One time, I recall walking into the basketball office and seeing Coach Wood working through a math problem with a freshman basketball player. At the time I thought to myself, “Doesn’t Coach have a game to prepare for?” But his behavior demonstrated to the student-athlete that he believed in him. Although, one could argue Coach Wood was motivated to keep the player eligible for competition, he certainly could have instead utilized one of the many services on campus to assist the student with his math homework.
Coach Wood’s ability to believe in others was also captured in the vision he shared with his assistant coaches early in the 2000-01 basketball season. Coach Wood knew he had a very talented team of freshman and sophomores. Following a team meeting in the locker-room, Coach Wood looked at all three of us (assistant coaches) and shared his vision.
“We need to show them (players) what they can achieve,” Coach Wood stated, “let’s give them a visual map depicting the journey from Northern California to Springfield, Mass. and the NCAA DII Men’s Basketball Elite Eight.” He went on, “let’s draw the map above their lockers so they can see it everyday.”
I recall nodding in agreement, as assistant coaches often do, and looking at the other coaches wondering who was going to have to paint the wall. The map never got painted, but Coach Wood never lost his vision for that young freshman class. In 2004 the freshmen, now seniors, made it all the way to the NCAA DII Final Four.
Coach Wood believed in the ability of his student-athletes to reach a goal and he never lost sight of the vision he believed they could accomplish. Although sport provides convenient goals for student to strive for such as winning a championship, my experience with Coach Wood reminds me the impact a teacher can have when they believe in others both on the field of play and in the classroom.
In sum, working as an assistant coach provided me an opportunity to gain first-hand observation and practical experience in teaching sport specific skills, as well as a hands-on apprenticeship in how best to engage with student-athletes. I was fortunate to work with great coaches that were committed to being excellent teachers of sport and life. I might be naive to assume that all students enrolled in my classes share the same level of commitment and passion for the topic I am teaching as might a group of student-athletes in pursuing excellence in their sport. Nevertheless, by implementing the concepts master teachers of sport have shared with me, I’m convinced I can become a better teacher in the classroom by caring, being consistent, and believing in others.
References
Cassidy, T., Jones, R. L., & Potrac, P. (2016). Understanding sports coaching: The pedagogical, social and cultural foundations of coaching practice (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Humboldt (2010). Tearing up the floorboards: Head basketball coach Tom Wood retiring after 29 years. Humboldt, Spring 2010. Retrieved from: http://magazine.humboldt.edu/spring10/tearing-up-the-floorboards/
Janssen J. & Dale, G. (2006). The seven secrets of successful coaches. Cary, NC: Winning the Mental Game.
Lamberty, B. (2003). Image aside, Faaborg leads the ‘cats. Montana State University News Archives. Retrieved from: http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/news-archives/1072817653.html
Martens. R. (2012). Successful Coaching (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Ottawa University. (2016). Ottawa University’s Winningest Basketball Coach Andy Carrier to Retire. Retrieved from: http://www.ottawabraves.com/article/4087.php
Peterson, R. (2015, March 4th). Ottawa coach Andy Carrier retiring after 25-year career with braves. Topeka-Capital Journal. Retrieved from: http://cjonline.com/sports/2015-03-04/ottawa-coach-andy-carrier-retiring-after-25-year-career-braves
Schempp, P. G, McCullick, B., & Mason, I. S. (2006). The development of expert coaching. In Jones, R. L. (Ed.), The sports coach as educator: Re-conceptualizing sports coaching (145-161). New York, NY: Routledge.
Van Mullem, P. & Van Mullem, H. (2014). The Learning Process of a Coach: Preferences of Coaches in the United States. Journal of Kinesiology and Wellness, December (V3).
Wooden, J. & Jamison S. (2007). The essential wooden: A lifetime of lessons on leaders and leadership. Columbus, OH: McGraw Hill.
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