With high profile names leaving their coaching teams; my friends ask “Why Coach?”… It is not a surprise they ask, particularly when they hear me complain about the paperwork, time and the seemingly endless seminars that I go on. This work often involves traveling to different counties, taking annual leave from work, all for free and out my own pocket.
Well the easy answer is I love coaching and do it for the enjoyment.
That
doesn’t really answer the question, nor make for an interesting blog
post, as I personally feel it is a different type of enjoyment from shooting [2]. When you are shooting it is the challenge, the
competition, the enjoyment of participating in group activity, which
makes sport fantastic to the player.
The
enjoyment with coaching is quite different. It is the sense of fulfilment. When you work with someone and coach
them you grow a, professional
relationship, very much like a teacher/mentor does.
You
get caught up in the emotions particularly when an archer, goes up to
shoot that final arrow in a head to head and the amerce pressure that
brings.
It’s
rollercoaster of feelings, but like most emotions it comes with supreme
highs and lows. The lows are particularly hammering, as coaching can be
classed as a bit
of gamble[3]. In that the changes you instigate to what you consider
“better” might not work and you can be held
accountable for that change.
It
could be the catalyst as to why the person stops shooting or lead to
injury. If that is the case it hurts, a lot. Now this is an extreme case
as there are a whole
host of reasons why a coaching relationship can go that way. You may
need to move coaches to improve and achieve your goals.
Tiger
Woods was first coached by his dad then Butch Harmen and more recently Hank Haney. In that time
he went from junior golfer to number 1 in the world.
All things considered why do why coach?
What
really makes me coach is when someone comes up to you 6/7months later
and says “guess what I hit a personal best today” or seeks you out to
say they got a bronze
in the local competition or “I got my first gold today” and the best is
“thank you, that really feels better now”. As a coach that news makes
you feel unbeatable and that can’t be taken away from you.
As you know deep down they wouldn’t have been able to get there without your help. That is the reason people coach.
A small note:
The
above is Ibrahim, part of the Quatar archery squad. This is not bad for
someone who came to Reading University Bowmen as a fresher.
