How do I Become a Coach?
If you’ve ever watched a sporting event and thought to yourself that you could probably do a better job than the person coaching the team, you’re not alone. Most of us who love sports and are knowledgeable about the game can spot bad calls, poor player positioning, and unfortunate errors in judgment.
If you’re interested in a career as a professional sports coach, a Bachelor’s degree is essential. Courses of study conducive to a career as a professional coach include physical education, sports medicine, nutrition and fitness, sports science, and sports management. Students in these programs will engage in a variety of sports, learning the game and how to coach it.
Sports management programs also offer classes in marketing, public relations, facilities management, law, event management, athletic management, economics, information technology, and other courses necessary to handle the challenge of entering the sports industry and giving one a broad base of knowledge necessary to become a coach.
The competition for professional coaching jobs is intense, however, and in order to become a coach, a student needs to look for opportunities to build a resume that demonstrates this knowledge in real-life situations. Possible opportunities include coaching a college club team, volunteering to become a coach for a children’s teams in the community, working as a team manager for a college team, and doing an internship with a professional or semi-professional team.
Many college players move on to become a coach at the college, semi-professional, and professional levels. Not only do they know the game, but they are also in tune with the needs of the players and the challenges that student athletes face.
The best way to become a coach on a local level is to volunteer to help a local children’s team. Depending on the size of your city or town and its location, there are probably youth football, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and basketball leagues that are looking for volunteers.
Once you are involved with the team, you can begin to learn what it takes to become a coach by observing the way he handles the team. You’ll also be in the know when a coaching or assistant coaching position becomes available and have built up some experience, making you a natural pick for the job. From youth leagues, you might be able to move up to an assistant position for a local school team. Although a college degree is usually required for a head coaching position, you might be able to volunteer at your local school.
The key to success at any level of coaching is to know and love the game, and be willing to be creative in your approach. With the right training and opportunity, there’s no reason you cannot become a coach.
Written by Donna Reynolds
