Communication, One of The Most Important Parts of Coaching Sports

As I get older, I have begun to look back and reminisce about the events and people that have shaped my life. Many of my fondest memories are those that I have made when I was playing and practicing sports. From the good times to the bad, I always look back on how much influence that certain people have had on me in sports, and in life in general. Some of the most influential people, good and bad, that I have encountered in my life, have been my coaches. My coaches have, for the most part, shaped the person that I am today, each using different types of communication.

Communication is defined as the exchange of ideas/thoughts from a sender to a receiver. In coaching, one must use communication at every moment to ensure that one's team understands the tasks and goals that the coach has laid out. Communication is not just speaking to the team, but also can be shown through Non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication can consist of physical appearance, proxemics (space and territory), paralanguage (everything in the vocal channel except the actual words), and other types of non-verbal communication. Each of these is just as important as the other for a coach to be successful.

In an article titled, What Communication Means for a Coach, I have found many interesting things that relate successful coaching to communication skills. Some of the topics that this article discusses are about sending and receiving messages, non-verbal and verbal channels, content and emotional impact, and sending effective messages. Each of these concepts are very important in coaching. A coach must learn to communicate with everyone in a way that will motivate them, but not in a way that will discourage anyone. A coach must also learn that different types of communication work differently on different types of people. One person may respond well to criticism, while this may break a separate person down. A coach needs to give off an encouraging and strict mantra, while also being a figure that an athlete can confide in and trust. Being a successful coach can be very difficult and takes time to learn the proper communication techniques.

Personally, I have had great coaches in my life as a wrestler. From youth wrestling with my dad as a coach, to club and varsity wrestling, I have always had great coaches. Of course, my father was my favorite coach, meanwhile, he was also the most effective. Whenever I was working out with him in the room, he understood how to communicate with me to get the best out of me. He pushed me to my limits and helped me develop a stellar work ethic. We had great chemistry and that is why I believe that we had such great communication. It is difficult to have that good of a rapport with other coaches, however, over time it can be done. Coaches have to understand how to communicate with each individual and learn to get the best out of everyone to be successful. This task can be difficult, but that is why the best coaches in the world make millions of dollars!
What Communication Means for a Coach