The COVID-19 pandemic is such a tough and complex situation for many people who have a hefty responsibility. The responsibilities of pastors, school principals, and CEOS have become that much greater due to this pandemic’s nature; the challenges faced by the aforementioned individuals also extend to coaches, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. Difficult times such as these reveal the character and leadership quality of individuals in leadership roles, so coaches need to learn how to step up their game in this area during this crucial time in our history.
This piece will go over how one can improve as a coach during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In many instances, coaches have had to coach their players via Zoom or phone call and have not had much face-to-face impact. Thus, coaches may not have had as much time to perfect their craft. This doesn’t mean that coaches have no room for improvement due to the situation at hand.
First of all, coaches can improve by spending time with their families. Given that coaching can reduce the amount of time spent with the family, coaches should embrace the increased amount of time they now have with their families. This can be done by initiating more discussions with family members or setting time aside to play games with one another.
One can instruct their children on how to do various tasks that they will need later on in life, such as teaching them how to change a tire, cook, or use the laundry machine. How these instructions are given can transfer to a person’s coaching method since they now know how to give instructions in a way that people will understand and listen to.
Coaches can also take the time to do a personal evaluation of their skills. A personal assessment is necessary for growth; without it, people can get stuck in their ways with no possible way to change and improve. The best way to do this is for a person to reflect on their leadership and organizational skills; it may be a good time for coaches to analyze how flexible they are as leaders. It’s also important for a person to realize just how willing they are to learn and develop due to this reflection.
A coach needs to evaluate how often they involve their assistants in decisions made on and off the basketball court. A good leader won’t rely solely on themselves to get the job done—assistants are there for a reason, and good coaches will delegate responsibilities where they see fit.
Coaches should also take this extra time to review their team’s work in the previous season. They should use those stats to determine what areas their team needs to improve on. Coaches should also review offensive and defensive strategies to ensure that all areas of the team are improving despite the social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions.
