The Importance of Ongoing Coaching Development

Legendary coach John Wooden said it best: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

And that's why even the most successful coaches—in any sport—continue to focus on coaching development no matter how many state titles, state champions or All-Americans they have coached.

Coaches demand that athletes strive to learn, seek improvement, and apply new strategies. Coaches need to do the same, says Dr. Wade Gilbert, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Fresno, and Human Kinetics Coach Education advisor. Gilbert is the author of Coaching Better Every Season: A Year-Round System for Athlete Development and Program Success and editor-in-chief of the International Sport Coaching Journal, both published by Human Kinetics, a long-time provider of coaching education for USA Wrestling’s Copper Level Certification. 

"Imagine a coach failing to stay informed of the most recent concussion prevention and evaluation protocols," says Gilbert. "Or one who still believes water deprivation is a legitimate weight cutting measure. So, simply out of concern for athletes’ safety, coaches must continue to learn."

But beyond that, Gilbert says coaches owe it to their athletes to provide the best possible experience; one that will promote their physical, mental, emotional, and social development; and also one that will allow them to perform and compete to the best of their abilities.

"Only coaches who remain interested and active learners can provide the quality coaching and sport experience their athletes deserve," says Gilbert.

Coaches often challenge wrestlers to get outside their comfort zone. Coaches should do the same with their development, says Mike Clayton, Manager of the National Coaches Education Program (NCEP) for USA Wrestling. For example, USA Wrestling members who participate in the Coaches Apprentice Program can not only gain experience and professional growth via a field experience with a national team at United World Wrestling-sanctioned international competition, they can also learn about how to develop practice plans, a competition schedule and how to get their teams to peak at the right time of the year.

"Some of the best ways to develop as a coach include getting outside your comfort zone and being willing to try things a new way," says Clayton. "How about researching what a dynamic warm-up is, maybe implement some new mobility training, teach Greco-Roman techniques, have kids demonstrate moves before you do, or work to keep the ratio of athletes moving during practice to coaches talking at 80/20. Consider the TLS method of coaching: Teach, Learn, Smile."

Ongoing development and training for coaches is critical to their ability to improve their technical knowledge of their sports, and even more importantly, their ability to positively impact their athletes on and off the mat, says David Jacobson, Senior Marketing Communications and Content Manager for the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national non-profit organization with the mission to transform the culture of youth sports so that youth athletes can have a positive, character-building experience. Jacobson has served as head coach of the San Mateo (CA) High School JV boys’ basketball team, and has coached baseball, softball, and basketball at youth and middle school levels.

PCA provides online courses, books, and free educational resources through its website and e-newsletters. In addition, each year, the PCA trains tens of thousands of youth and high school sports coaches to become a Double-Goal Coach®. This program is for the coach who pursues not only the goal of winning, but the even more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports. Jacobson says the best coaches constantly strive to improve both in terms of technical knowledge (the science of coaching) and in terms of meaningful lifelong impact on athletes (the art of coaching).

"Coaches often get caught up in the prevailing win-at-all-cost mentality of our nation’s sports culture," says Jacobson. "But by working toward mastery of sport, instead of focusing just on point totals, and by training their athletes to do the same, those coaches and athletes are actually more likely to achieve mastery and wins.”

There are more opportunities for coaches to stay on top of the profession than ever before. In addition to the Coaches Apprentice Program, USA Wrestling has a wide variety of online coaching resources and development programs, such as the copper, bronze, silver, and gold coaching certification programs.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has been serving, protecting, and promoting amateur wrestling in the educational environment since 1928, and offers a wide variety of coaching resources and developmental programs. The NWCA website stated what top coaches emphasize about the importance of ongoing development, saying "independent research clearly indicates that well trained coaches (regardless of the sport) are five times more likely to retain students in that sport."

The best coaches aren't afraid to try different things. They read books from coaches in and outside of wrestling. They watch videos or attend different coaches' clinics throughout the year. They also network with their peer group of other coaches, constantly thirsty for more advice, education, and resources.

"Coaches who remain locked onto the same set of facts through their coaching careers will be ignorant of rule changes and technical and training innovations, and therefore put their athletes at a competitive disadvantage," says Gilbert. "Those who fail to stay abreast of new technology and communication methods will fail to serve and relate with their athletes as they otherwise could."

Jacobson added one other important aspect of coaching development: Athletes notice when coaches take the time to learn, develop, and perfect their craft.

"It may seem obvious that the coaches who work hardest to improve themselves are the most successful," says Jacobson. "What is less obvious is that athletes pick up on how hard their coaches are working to improve themselves and often that helps the athletes decide how hard to work to improve themselves."

Even further proof that Wooden did say it best, because it is indeed what you learn after you know it all that counts.