The Athlete-Centered Approach

Written by: Blake Costalupes

Do you remember your high school coach? The guy that's coaching mantra was "It's my way or the highway", or my favorite "We're gonna run till you puke". The history books of sport pay homage to these coaches, and maybe rightfully so. Bob Knight, coach of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team infamously threw a chair across the court in heated game in the 80's. Knight collected the most wins all time as he retired (902 NCAA Div. 1, and 3 NCAA championships). Similarly, coaches such as Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcels, Bear Bryant, and Dean Smith, among many others, were known for their hard-nosed style, and have all been identified as some of the greatest to ever coach their respective sport. Modern coaching, however, is beginning to transition away from this old-school style. This "punish first, talk later", approach is more consistently than ever, being transitioned to more positive and open lines of communication.

The most effective coaches of today approach their work from a perspective known today as an Athlete-Centered Approach. This approach stems from the idea that strong personal relationships and well rounded individuals within a team (including coaches and personnel), will result in a more successful outcome, however that may be defined. One of the most successful and decorated programs in sport history, the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team defines this by the mantra "Better people make better  All Blacks". 

How does a coach go about developing an athlete-centered approach? Great question. Theres is no one way, however, the most successful coaches begin by forming strong player relationships. As college baseball coach Augie Garrido put it "The quality of a team depends on the strength of the player relationships". The following list serves as a beginners directory of attributes that help to make up, and mould, an athlete centered approach to coaching. 

• Coach people first, sport second- Jill Ellis, coach of the USA women's national soccer team says that the premise of her style is to connect with the athletes on a personal level to build trust, but not at the expense of the collective team needs. Coaches must realize the individual needs of athletes on the team, including emotional needs, while maintaining and holding athletes accountable to team standards and core values.
• Establishing trust- Reaching optimal performance can depend on the degree that coaches and players can feel comfortable sharing vulnerabilities to overcome difficulties (Gilbert, 2017). Coaches can develop trustworthiness by focusing on building a relationship that stays in accordance with core values, model current core values, and by consistently demonstrating self-confidence, professionalism, and dignity (Purdy, Potrac, & Nelson, 2013). 
• Establishing Clearly Defined Roles- Establishing clearly defined roles for players and personnel is an important step, but it must be followed with proper clarification and acceptance by the individual. It is important for the coach to have open and frank discussion with players and personnel regarding the role. Questions that should be addressed include: what are the responsibilities of this role?, what behaviors are necessary to fulfill this role?, how will I be evaluated in this role?, and what are the consequences if I do not fulfill this role?

References

Gilbert, W. (2017). Coaching better every season: a year-round system for athlete development and program success. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Purdy, L., Potrac, P., & Nelson, L. (2013). Exploring trust and distrust in coaching. In P. Potrac, W. Gilbert, & J. Denison (Eds.), Routledge handbook of sports coaching (pp. 309-320). London: Routledge. 

Eys, M. A., Schinke, R. J., Surya, M., & Benson, A. J. (2014). Role perceptions in sport groups. In M. R. Beauchamp & M. A. Eys (Eds.), Group dynamics in exercise and sport psychology (pp. 131-146). London: Routledge.