So, what kind of coach are you?

As an athlete I have been quite lucky to have had a number of incredible coaches throughout my life time. Each and every one of them has impacted me and my coaching style in different ways. I had a soccer coach that was ex military, a karate instructor, and hard as nails. I had a baseball coach that was "just trying to make things fun for us" that was as great of a coach as you could imagine. I had a track coach who, when it came down to specifics, didn't know much of anything about track techniques but was the most motivating man you can ever imagine. All great people who devoted themselves and their time to making my teammates and myself the best we could be in their respective sports.

I had been a bench coach with my league for over a year and had also traveled with our WFTDA charter a handful of times. When the position of league coach became available I knew it was something I wanted to undertake. The league needed a coach and I felt like I was definitely the person to fill the role. Once I was appointed it the question became, "what kind of coach do I want to be?"

There are many kinds of coaches in this world:

"The Cheerleader"
This coach might not have the greatest knowledge of the game but they sure will motivate you. No matter how downtrodden you feel this coach can pick you up with their voice and enthusiasm. They achieve every high point right along with you and tell you every single thing you are doing successfully without fail, often very loudly.

"The Drill Sergeant"
This fiery personality doesn't care if it hurts, they only care that you keep going. In some ways they are like the cheerleader, only with a lot more malice. They bark instructions and don't appreciate questions. If you don't follow those instructions completely you will be doing push ups till your arms fall off or suicides until you drop. None of this is because they hate you. On the contrary, they just want you to be the best you can be. Differentiation for skill levels is not even a part of the conversation here. Work hard or go home.

"The Friend"or "People Pleaser"
"Hey guys, do you want to go hang out on skates tonight? We might not sweat or necessarily learn anything but we will have fun!" If that describes your practices, you might just be the friend coach otherwise known as the people pleaser. Your practice plan centers much more around what you think your players will like and almost never around what they actually need. That is okay though, everybody will tell you how much fun practice was.

"The Know-It-All"
Don't ever question this coach because, well, they know it all! No matter what the topic, be it strategy, basics, rules, they will always have the answer. Disagree with them and you will hear all about how wrong you really are. This coach often shares a lot with our next coach.

"The Dictator"
Whatever this coach says, goes. The only opinion that really matters is theirs and you will be lucky if they even listen to yours. Don't expect that they will actually take anything you say seriously though. If you don't follow their rules, ideas, and strategies completely and unquestioningly you will be riding so much pine archaeologists will think people of our time used logs to wipe. Speaking of that the dictator will probably tell you what kind of toilet paper you can use, what kind of bottled water you can drink, and what kind of food you need to eat for an afternoon snack. Long live the coach!


While there may or may not be some tongue in cheek happening up there many of those coaches do exist. Amazingly there are coaches out there that are able to make all of those approaches work with varying degrees of success. There are dictators out there that have gotten teams to completely buy into their ways and those teams can be juggernauts. Sometimes a team with plenty of talent and a great attitude can get by with a cheerleader for a coach.

The fact of the matter is that there really is no right answer here. There is no one right kind of coach. Some groups of athletes need a certain type to be successful and some coaches need a certain type of athlete to be successful.

This brings me back to my initial question. What type of coach are you? What type of coach am I? To tell the truth I think I am a combination of each of those things and more. Sometimes I have to be a drill sergeant, endurance work requires it. Sometimes you have to be a dictator because too many cooks and all that jazz. But ultimately when I self reflect on my first year coaching roller derby I come back to one thing. I am the coach that each skater needs me to be. Some skaters need and want to be pushed. Some skaters need that cheerleader. If I had to describe myself I would say I am a chameleon. From practice to practice my approach can change. When it comes to games I am passionate and supportive but also even tempered and calm as well. I ride the highs and steer away from the lows. I build my skaters up rather than break them down. I tell them what they can do and show them how to accomplish what they can't. Most of all I lead by example. I keep my head on straight. I don't yell at refs. I practice what I preach. I respect my skaters and they respect me for it. I speak for those that don't speak for themselves.

Want to know what the best kind of coach is? A Leader. Every great coach I ever had was just that, a leader. The best I can ever hope for is to be seen as one. Wins and success will follow.