Is coaching high school really for the kids? Or is it to fuel our egos?

I’m curious, what exactly shows that I’m “omg, in it for myself”. And to follow up, how would someone who gets no gratification out of coaching stay in it for the long haul?

Incidentally, most of my athletes have overwhelmingly positive experiences.

I'd say for me, it is 60% for the kids, 30% for my more "academic" interest in the sport, and 10% to prove I'm a good coach when they compete well (aka, ego).

I’ll add my 2 cents for what it’s worth . No doubt ego is a part of it . No one wants the job unless they think they will be great at it . It’s pretty easy though to see the coaches who make it all about them . They make themselves the center of attention at coaches meetings , they make sure local newspapers mention a meet was their 100th career win etc , they get the trophy when the team wins an invitational. That said , there are lots of reasons besides ego to coach . Everybody who coaches and officiates is a life time track junky . You can teach quite a few kids a love of the sport and it’s a great feeling to see a kid who works hard improve .

in my humble opinion... wrote:

Some clues to ego driven coaches:

- do they seek the spotlight?

- do they claim responsibility for success?

- do they talk about their own accomplishments?

- do they talk about technical aspects of training, making it sound like success is because of their plans?

Some clues to those in it for the kids:

- do they stay in the background when their teams and athletes succeed?

- do they give the praise to their athletes for success?

- do they talk about athletes characteristics that aren’t related to performance, such as leadership ?

- do they talk about culture more than training details?

Nailed it!

Double Nailed it!

in my humble opinion... wrote:

Sorry, just to expand more. When coaches are constantly talking about how great their training plans are, it comes across as a declaration of their intelligence and their own ability. They think the workouts are what differentiates their team because they know better than everyone else, again taking credit rather than sharing the credit with the athletes.

When you talk about culture, it’s shared. Runners, parents, assistant coaches, alumni and others all contribute to the culture. You may lead the development and shape the culture, but it takes everyone’s input to be successful.

Don't be sorry. This obviously isn't your first rodeo. So, if it strokes your ego to help others from athletes to clinic presentations to posting on a "running" forum, so be it.

Personally, coaches with your outlook are trying to do their part to push the love of the sport into future generations. There's a lot of great coaches that will never win a title but not because they can't coach, have high numbers, consistency etc... It's how they handle the situation or athlete when the opportunity avails itself.

I learned after about my first 3 years and 5 state titles under a very winning coach that there has to be something more to it than just winning. I wondered what I should be doing to make a young person consider becoming the teacher/coach that I would want my own children to have working with them.

Don't get me wrong, I loved to compete as an athlete and also as a coach. But, if the system that sustains itself is in place, a very successful program will always be in contention even without a lot of superstars. So yeah, culture goes a long way. Kids know when they are a part of a great experience even if they aren't top dog and are ok with just doing their best and working toward improvement. Those that came before showed the way. Now it's their turn to write their own page....

CoachB wrote:

I’m curious, what exactly shows that I’m “omg, in it for myself”. And to follow up, how would someone who gets no gratification out of coaching stay in it for the long haul?

Incidentally, most of my athletes have overwhelmingly positive experiences.

you used the word "I" or some variant of it ("I'm" or "I'll") 30 times.

Cool question.

Running has done a lot for my mental health and my life, so seeing kids become passionate about the sport and improve as a result is a big external motivator. Trust me it's not the paycheck or the sweet jacket. It's simply amazing to see that mental/physical progress.

Selfishly, I also really enjoy being around the sport because it keeps me focused on my own goals. You learn an incredible amount talking with other coaches. I see amazing running performances and new techniques. I get to see how certain athletes respond to different types of training. It keeps me mentally invested in the sport, and that is something I want to do year round.

So, I agree, it's a bit of both.

I had multiple coaches in high school and the one I enjoyed the most was so good about reminding us, "This is your team, not mine." I really didn't understand what he meant at the time but looking back that was such an important idea, he really let us shape our team culture without being too overbearing. Selfless coaches are few and far between, it becomes clear when a coach is all about himself when he feels the need to run an athlete ALL the time to show off.

Hey Coach B,

When you say you spend most your time on building culture, what do you mean? What are specific things that you do to build culture?

Thanks,

runkeller

pelion isnt that great bro

It’s fun to coach and distance running is pretty easy to coach. No one really cares how you so you get to define success for your team

The ability to coach is a "Gift" and or "Talent". A great coach doesn't coach athletes, they coach people. Teaching them valuable life lessons while using running (or any other sport) as a vehicle toward personal growth and success. 1% of your team will be "Good" runners, the other 99% will be average at best and maybe you'll be lucky and have a "Blue Chipper" who is exceptional. It is how you coach and mentor the 99% of your team that will determine the team's success. I am constantly evaluating my coaching day in and day out and adjusting to the strengths and weaknesses of the team. I also firmly believe that having personal experience and success in the sport is a huge asset. The kids will respect you more knowing that the training you're having them do is not just pulled from the internet or a book (Dime a Dozen), rather from personal experience of you actually having done the workouts and fully understanding the purpose.

Good Luck.....And Go Run One!!!

Introspection and self honesty are critical skills. I would bet there isn’t a single coach that would say they are in It mainly for their own ego (although we could all name several that obviously are). However, if they are honest with themselves and look at the points I outlined earlier that indicate which category, and can critically apply them to themselves, they would improve their coaching. So many coaches go to clinics, read books, talk to peers about workouts, but few spend as much energy focusing on how they treat people and interact with their teams. Ultimately you can get kids fit and run fast relatively quickly and easily, but to have a program see sustained success for a decade or more, takes building a culture. As I mentioned earlier, cultures are shared and require more than one person who knows how to write a training plan.

Talented kids have created ego monster coaches more than once. Is every coach that had a Footlocker champ a genius? Is every coach that has a NXN team champ or individual winner a genius?

Look for the programs that qualify multiple times outside of a four year period to see the ones that are likely running great programs, focused on culture. The ones who qualify multiple times in a short period, probably were more the recipients of luck, rather than great coaches.

How has this thread gotten this far without mentioning Sean Brosnan?! If you want to know what an ego-driven coach looks like, go no further.

fgng wrote:

How has this thread gotten this far without mentioning Sean Brosnan?! If you want to know what an ego-driven coach looks like, go no further.

Bruh, that's an entirely different category. You'd have to add, makes up or exaggerates accomplishments and constantly name drops to make themselves seem important.

There has never been a coach that has won the talent lottery and ridden it to relevance more.

This thread should be named the posting of jealous coaches.

Most successful High School coaches put in long hours for no pay. There has never been a top national coach NOT to get attacked for winning. It's the nature of the beast. You build a success, people will find a reason to say you're wrong.

When you win the haters come out. I rather my son and daughter around the coaches of a top program then around the people crying online about them being so successful.

Hate and envy is a bad trait to have in life. Remember we all in this together and we shouldn't have room for people who hate.

Dr. Grover Peterson wrote:

This thread should be named the posting of jealous coaches.

Most successful High School coaches put in long hours for no pay. There has never been a top national coach NOT to get attacked for winning. It's the nature of the beast. You build a success, people will find a reason to say you're wrong.

When you win the haters come out. I rather my son and daughter around the coaches of a top program then around the people crying online about them being so successful.

Hate and envy is a bad trait to have in life. Remember we all in this together and we shouldn't have room for people who hate.

Really? I thought there was some productive posts. I don’t think there was a direct link between winning coaches and ego in the posts I read.

I would guess that if you look at all the programs that made NXN this past year, there is a combination of ego driven coaches and those in it for the kids. All of the coaches would be considered winning coaches.