The Different Styles of Coaching

Introduction

Coaching is an essential aspect of sport in the world today because it ensures that individuals are able to work together with their coaches in order to achieve desired results. A consequence of such a situation is that the coach is considered the leader of the team and it is he or she that is held responsible for the successes and failures of the team. In many cases, coaches can either be fired or fired at a moment’s notice based on their performance; meaning that it is essential for these individuals to ensure that they promote the advancement of their teams through having the skills needed to help their players achieve their maximum potential (Bloom, Falcão & Caron, 2014). One should not underestimate the considerable influence that coaches at all levels tend to have on the lives of the individuals that they mentor. This is especially the case with those coaches who undertake the training of children, where they teach the latter how to learn and play a diverse number of games. These individuals are extremely important, because they seek to advance the development of children so that they can make better athletes while at the same time instilling in them the ability to exercise discipline while both on and off the field. Coaches at the beginner level of training are essential in the advancement of the interests of children because it ensures that they not only develop life skills, but also have an opportunity to bring about a positive effect in their growth and learning. In this paper, there will be a discussion of the development of coaching and how this role has developed in the contemporary world. There will also be an analysis of the role of coaches and the different styles adopted by these individuals in order to achieve their objectives. The role of different coaching styles in the lives of individuals that allow for the advancement of their skills will also be analyzed within the context of molding these individuals into responsible people in society.

Previous approaches

            Coaching began as early as sports and this has been documented since the ancient period, as seen from the Olympic Games held in Ancient Greece to the professional sporting events held in the contemporary world. Coaching began with older or retired athletes transmitting their knowledge to younger ones; ensuring a level of continuity in a considerable number of sports. Furthermore, it was in the interest of coaches to ensure that they pushed their protégés towards putting their best efforts towards the achievement of their goals (Jeanes, Magee & O’Connor, 2014). This meant that they had to make these individuals push the limits on their bodies in order to become successful. In the early days of coaching, the practice essentially involved teaching younger people what they knew. Therefore, the practice was not as professional as it is today because in the contemporary world, coaching has become a profession, with individuals putting in all of their efforts towards sports as their main activity. Participants in sports tended to seek to ensure that they became just like their coaches, because the latter were usually former participants in sports themselves. A consequence of this situation was that rather than having sports as the main activity in their lives, players more often considered it a pass time and did not take it on professionally. The act of participating in a game for the fun of it rather than to make money ensured that individuals appreciated these activities more. This is unlike in the contemporary world where sports have essentially become a means through which the participants see an opportunity to make a lot of money. Therefore, coaches in the contemporary world have the task of learning from the past and making sure that there is the advancement of a genuine appreciation of sports from the current generation. The lessons from the past are also essential in bringing about a level of discipline so that it leads to the reduction of interest in sports for the financial rewards they might bring to participating in them, such as having fun.

New findings

The role of coaching has evolved to such an extent that it has become an essential aspect of almost all, if not all sporting events. A consequence has been that it has allowed coaches to become among the highest paid individuals in the world. Some football coaches are paid tens of millions of dollars annually because of the work that they do and this is a sign of the considerable important that is put on their skills. Furthermore, while the art of coaching has evolved to become more professional, the activity itself is still for the most part conducted because of the individuals’ love for the game (Rynne, Mallett & Rabjohns, 2016). The coaches in the smallest leagues have the responsibility to ensure that they instill the love of sports in their team members from a young age so that as they grow, they participate in sport for the fun of it rather than for the aim of making money. A result of such instances is that it will have the potential of creating more genuine interest in sporting activities from individuals rather than seeking to simply join in the activities for monetary gain. It is essential for coaches to take the time to promote getting back to the basics of sports because this situation will ensure that advancement of the sporting activities while at the same time allow for the development of discipline, which is an essential attribute when it comes to the achievement of success both in an out of sport. It is the role of the coach to not only instill discipline in the team, but also sportsmanship and knowledge of the game. However, in order to achieve this goal, it is essential to consider coaching and the role that it plays in helping to advance the interests of athletes. Through this understanding, it will be possible to bring about an understanding of how coaches are able to accomplish their tasks.

Coaching styles

There are a number of coaching styles which are made use of in order to instill efficiency, discipline, and self-development in athletes. These styles are important in the development of responsible individuals in society because they help instill needed values that athletes have both inside and outside their sporting activities. There are three main coaching styles and these include the following; command, submissive, and cooperative coaching styles.

Command style

In this style, coaches make all the decisions and this is to such an extent that the role of the athlete remains to only respond to the commands of the coach (Marten, 2004, p.2). This is one of the most common coaching styles and it works on the premise that the coach knows what is best for the athletes. It often takes place in a situation where there is need to ensure that there is constant discipline in the coaching process, with the coach often undertaking to have a serious demeanor at all times to ensure that the athletes appreciate the seriousness of the situation. It also involves the coach not being pleasant with the athletes because to do so is considered to be a sign of weakness, which might end up shaking his authority. However, one of the most important aspects of the command style of coaching is that it often leads to considerably good results, especially in situations where the coach is a brilliant strategist and tactician, whose instructions lead to the success of the team. The downside is that it also involves a considerable number of athletes quitting the various sports programs because they feel that they have no say in any of the coaching activities that the coaches decide on. Therefore, in order for this coaching style to be acceptable and effective, it is essential for the coaches to ensure that they understand the boundaries of such coaching practices so that they do not become abusive of the athletes under their care.

Submissive style

The submissive style of coaching is an extremely relaxed one because the coach takes as small a role as possible in the process. It involves a situation where the coach does not take an active part in the decision making and leaves the athletes to make the decisions concerning what to do concerning their own coaching (Hassan & Lynch, 2014). The athletes have absolute freedom in the coaching process to such an extent that it leads to a situation where the coach only gets involved in situations where they feel that they have to step in. This coaching style allows athletes the ability to advance their own interests in the best way that they know how and helps them become more responsible for themselves. In addition, it helps them to ensure that they not only develop their own team spirit, but also helps them make the necessary choices for their teams. Despite these advantages, the coaches in this situation can end up having their careers become quite short because they do not impose their authority over the team. This is especially considering that they do not provide any direction, instruction, or discipline to the athletes; leading the latter towards a situation where they have the potential of getting out of control. Because the coach in this situation allows the athletes to dictate their coaching, it leads to the considerable reduction of the authority needed to make sure that the coaching practices are as efficient as they should be; resulting in the underperformance of both the coach and the team.

Cooperative style

The third coaching style that has been mentioned is the cooperative style. This involves the coach providing the athletes under his care a voice on how to handle affairs related to the coaching. However, despite providing such freedom, it is essential to note that the coach continues to retain full authority over the athletes and he is the final decision maker. This style is also important because it puts into consideration the different styles of learning that the athletes have and this is to such an extent that it ends up being tailored into the overall coaching practice. Therefore, the different learning styles are not only identified by the coach, but that are also accommodated in the instruction area (Aoyagi, et al, 2016). A result is that it is essentially collaboration between the coach and the athletes, and this ensures that while the former retains absolute control over the overall coaching, the latter feel more comfortable with the practice because they also have a say in it. Furthermore, the focus of the coach is essentially the maximization of the potential of the team and this ensures that the coach seeks to do what is best for the athletes by taking their input into consideration. In both practice and game situations, the importance of coaches and athletes working together is emphasized, meaning that the coach, with more experience, is able to guide the athletes towards the achievement of their goals in a more considerate manner than is the case in submissive coaching. However, in this coaching style, the coach has to ensure that he remains focused in his objectives because there are instances where they might end up leaning too much towards the interests of the athletes that they forget their main objective, which is to ensure that they turn these individuals into better participants in their respective sporting activities.

Conclusion

One of the most fundamental aspects of coaching and the styles that are adopted is that it has an effect on the social behavior of the athletes as well as having a focus on decision making. Therefore, it is essential for the coach to take time and reflect on their individual coaching styles so that the one that they adopt will be tailored to cater to the specific coaching context while also considering the interests of the athlete. In this way, while athletes seek mentorship and guidance, coaches are also able to ensure that they advance their own experience with every athlete that they mentor. Thus, coaches have to find ways of bettering their skills so that they can help mold the athlete of the future in the best way possible.