10 Things Volleyball Coaches Do

I've been thinking a lot (like, a LOT) about how to educate people about what good coaching actually is.

I've often said that one of the problems we have in promoting coaching and coaches is that the entry point to be a coach is the same as to be a babysitter. That is, you just have to want to do it (because the people in charge don't want to!).

Over the years I've seen extraordinary coaches dismissed because people don't realise what it is that they are actually doing. It is likely that part of this is because most of the things good coaches do are things they can't see.

The educational process is different and less structured but I see coaching and coach education as being more like medicine. At the end of the education some will be better than others, and with experience and ongoing learning some might become great but most will not. BUT all of them will be much better than someone who never did the learning.

I've come to think of a development coach having two phases:

• Trainer
• Coach

Here are my lists for 10 Things a Trainer does and 10 Things a Coach does. This is not in any way meant to diminish what trainers do, but it is unashamedly meant to promote what good coaches do.

I've written before that I think becoming a great coach is a step by step process and you can't skip the steps, even if you want to. I think the process is to start as a trainer and develop to be a coach. Like caterpillars to butterflies :)