Be a Captain

Our entire world revolves around respect, or lack of it. It is the basis for every relationship, because of respect I listen to my parents, hold doors open for the elderly and obey the rules of the road. This idea of respect governs how we act in every relationship and the need for respect does not change inside the training room. In fact, it may be the most important aspect of coaching. When your athletes respect you they will believe in what you ask of them.

Respect is very individualized and it is earned in different ways from different people. For some the sole fact that you are offering a service is enough. For others it may require some form of palpable results before you are given respect. The faster you acquire it the smoother your relationship and the quicker the results. So what is the best way to gain your athletes respect?

Train with them! Take of the stopwatch and put down the clip board and grind it out with them for a day. Be a captain instead of a coach, still lead and instruct but do it from the front lines rather than the back. I think that often coaches are afraid to look silly in front of their athletes and as a result are afraid to train with them. If your athletes are better than you, your doing your job right.

My suggestion is to do it on a conditioning day. Why? Because they are shitty, make you hate your life and bring athletes together. It shows that you are willing and able to perform everything you ask them to do and know and understand exactly what they are going through when you ask them to give you more. Plus, as coaches we don't get an opportunity to embrace the struggle as often as we would like, especially with those around that can push us. So try it out, be a Captain.