Roles of a Coach
There are 4 different roles of a coach:
1. Innovator
2. Manager
3. Friend
4. Role Model
Innovator:
An innovator is a person who develops new methods and ideas of training which can influence the
team in a good way. Innovation is a new way or original way of doing something. It is vital for a
sports coach to search for new techniques which can enhance a player’s development and all-round
performance, which will then lead to an increase in the enjoyment of training sessions. It is
important for a coach to be an innovator as it allows for the team to be one step ahead of the
others, as in sport and slight edge can mean a lot. A slight edge could be the difference between
winning and losing matches. Innovation can be seen on a training pitch with coaches developing new
tactics which have never been used for, such as formations, or these new ideas could come off the
pitch such, as new ways of testing individuals such as GPS's which is a new recent concept used in
professional sports. Clive Woodward (Former England Rugby Manager) would be classed as an
innovator. Here are two examples of how Clive Woodward is an innovator. Between 1998 and 2004
Woodward implemented several methods that raised eyebrows amongst his rivals but that
ultimately gave England small "half a percent" advantages over their opponents. He employed a vast
backroom staff including coaches for specific aspects of the game (unheard of at the turn of the
century): a masseur, a chef, and even a QC for any legal issues that arose on tours. Woodward also
implemented out of the box ideas which in that time period was unheard of. For example, prior to
the 2003 World Cup Woodward worked closely with Nike the kit the supplier for England as he
found that the faster members of his team were being held back by their jerseys. This led to
Woodward and Nike working together to create a tight fit top which was hard for the opposition to
grab hold of. This top was debuted at the 2003 World Cup and ultimately gave England the edge, as
they got to the final and won the world cup.
Manager:
A manager is a type of coach that is always very organised in terms of how he creates and sets up his
training sessions and if they aren’t organised then this will set a bad example to the players so they
may become less organised as well. They are also responsible for the team and their actions so if a
player acts in an unprofessional way then they will need to take responsibility for this and talk to the
player behind the media. One of the most important parts of being a manager is making decisions in
the short term and long term. Short term decisions could include what the players do in each
training session so that they can train at the highest intensity possible. Long term decisions could
include how a coach wants to progress the club over a few years or how he wants to develop a
, youth player over time. The final attribute that a manager should have is personnel development.
This is about how the coach trains and develops the players in his team so that they can reach their
maximum potential and perform at the highest level that they can. An example of a manager in
rugby is Steve Hansen (Ex New Zealand coach). This is because he made a big decision to replace one
of the world’s best wingers with a 19-year-old winger called Rieko Ioane. However, this turned out
to be a very good decision as in his first match he was one of New Zealand’s best players and has
become one of the world’s best wingers since. Therefore, that even though at the time this decision
was criticised by the media, he stuck with what he knew was right and it definitely worked out for
the best. It also shows that his personnel development is good as he’s turned Ioane into one of the
world’s best wingers through the correct training.
Friend:
A coach that is a friend is a coach that listens, understands, takes time, is patient and also caring. It is
important for a coach to be a friend because all athletes are completely different people, they all
have different learning styles, personalities and attitudes. With certain athletes it will take longer for
them to get their head around new playing styles but a coach who is understanding of this and
understands that individuals struggle will be the coach of a team that has extremely well-minded
individuals who will bond well together to make an effective team. Some players may be struggling
with a certain situation be it bonding with their group or winning aerial battles, a coach that acts as a
friend will help them overcome these situations developing that athletes into a better all rounded
individual. An example of a coach being a friend in rugby would be Eddie Jones when he was training
England before the Wales game 2 years ago, he was a relatively new coach and had plenty of rugby
coaching experience and he believed the way to get the most out of his players was to become a
friend to them. Whenever Eddie had a free chance, he would pick an individual and get a coffee with
them and ask them about lots of things rugby and non-rugby related, this helped all athletes adapt
to the new coach and different coaching styles. Another example of a coach being a friend would be
in cricket, although cricket is a very serious game and enjoyable there are multiple cases of mental
health issues at the international level, there has been times when a player has needed someone to
talk to, sometimes the best person to talk to is their coach and a coach will be caring, patient and
understanding of the situation and will be able to get the athlete the help they need.
Role Model:
A role model is someone who provides leadership, sets an example, maintains standards and pushes
themselves. It is important for a coach to be a role model as players that don't have someone to look
up to will end up being a bit of a loose cannon, being a role model as a coach allows authority to be
shown in all scenarios and it allows the standards to be set and means all training can be successful
and meaningful. An example of a coach being a role model would be when a coach is in an interview,
the coach will speak with good manners and the correct attitude and they are disciplined even while
in a normal conversation. When a player sees their coach speaking politely and having discipline it
makes the athletes aspire to be like that. Players who have someone to look up to with clarity and
There are 4 different roles of a coach:
1. Innovator
2. Manager
3. Friend
4. Role Model
Innovator:
An innovator is a person who develops new methods and ideas of training which can influence the
team in a good way. Innovation is a new way or original way of doing something. It is vital for a
sports coach to search for new techniques which can enhance a player’s development and all-round
performance, which will then lead to an increase in the enjoyment of training sessions. It is
important for a coach to be an innovator as it allows for the team to be one step ahead of the
others, as in sport and slight edge can mean a lot. A slight edge could be the difference between
winning and losing matches. Innovation can be seen on a training pitch with coaches developing new
tactics which have never been used for, such as formations, or these new ideas could come off the
pitch such, as new ways of testing individuals such as GPS's which is a new recent concept used in
professional sports. Clive Woodward (Former England Rugby Manager) would be classed as an
innovator. Here are two examples of how Clive Woodward is an innovator. Between 1998 and 2004
Woodward implemented several methods that raised eyebrows amongst his rivals but that
ultimately gave England small "half a percent" advantages over their opponents. He employed a vast
backroom staff including coaches for specific aspects of the game (unheard of at the turn of the
century): a masseur, a chef, and even a QC for any legal issues that arose on tours. Woodward also
implemented out of the box ideas which in that time period was unheard of. For example, prior to
the 2003 World Cup Woodward worked closely with Nike the kit the supplier for England as he
found that the faster members of his team were being held back by their jerseys. This led to
Woodward and Nike working together to create a tight fit top which was hard for the opposition to
grab hold of. This top was debuted at the 2003 World Cup and ultimately gave England the edge, as
they got to the final and won the world cup.
Manager:
A manager is a type of coach that is always very organised in terms of how he creates and sets up his
training sessions and if they aren’t organised then this will set a bad example to the players so they
may become less organised as well. They are also responsible for the team and their actions so if a
player acts in an unprofessional way then they will need to take responsibility for this and talk to the
player behind the media. One of the most important parts of being a manager is making decisions in
the short term and long term. Short term decisions could include what the players do in each
training session so that they can train at the highest intensity possible. Long term decisions could
include how a coach wants to progress the club over a few years or how he wants to develop a
, youth player over time. The final attribute that a manager should have is personnel development.
This is about how the coach trains and develops the players in his team so that they can reach their
maximum potential and perform at the highest level that they can. An example of a manager in
rugby is Steve Hansen (Ex New Zealand coach). This is because he made a big decision to replace one
of the world’s best wingers with a 19-year-old winger called Rieko Ioane. However, this turned out
to be a very good decision as in his first match he was one of New Zealand’s best players and has
become one of the world’s best wingers since. Therefore, that even though at the time this decision
was criticised by the media, he stuck with what he knew was right and it definitely worked out for
the best. It also shows that his personnel development is good as he’s turned Ioane into one of the
world’s best wingers through the correct training.
Friend:
A coach that is a friend is a coach that listens, understands, takes time, is patient and also caring. It is
important for a coach to be a friend because all athletes are completely different people, they all
have different learning styles, personalities and attitudes. With certain athletes it will take longer for
them to get their head around new playing styles but a coach who is understanding of this and
understands that individuals struggle will be the coach of a team that has extremely well-minded
individuals who will bond well together to make an effective team. Some players may be struggling
with a certain situation be it bonding with their group or winning aerial battles, a coach that acts as a
friend will help them overcome these situations developing that athletes into a better all rounded
individual. An example of a coach being a friend in rugby would be Eddie Jones when he was training
England before the Wales game 2 years ago, he was a relatively new coach and had plenty of rugby
coaching experience and he believed the way to get the most out of his players was to become a
friend to them. Whenever Eddie had a free chance, he would pick an individual and get a coffee with
them and ask them about lots of things rugby and non-rugby related, this helped all athletes adapt
to the new coach and different coaching styles. Another example of a coach being a friend would be
in cricket, although cricket is a very serious game and enjoyable there are multiple cases of mental
health issues at the international level, there has been times when a player has needed someone to
talk to, sometimes the best person to talk to is their coach and a coach will be caring, patient and
understanding of the situation and will be able to get the athlete the help they need.
Role Model:
A role model is someone who provides leadership, sets an example, maintains standards and pushes
themselves. It is important for a coach to be a role model as players that don't have someone to look
up to will end up being a bit of a loose cannon, being a role model as a coach allows authority to be
shown in all scenarios and it allows the standards to be set and means all training can be successful
and meaningful. An example of a coach being a role model would be when a coach is in an interview,
the coach will speak with good manners and the correct attitude and they are disciplined even while
in a normal conversation. When a player sees their coach speaking politely and having discipline it
makes the athletes aspire to be like that. Players who have someone to look up to with clarity and
