Coach Advice

Give Your Coach Another Chance

by Lisa Izzi

I’ve been on both sides of the coach-athlete relationship. I was a gymnast from age 8 to 22 and competed on a National Championship team. I’m sure I wasn’t easy to coach some days—I was a perfectionist and I got moody sometimes. The good thing was I respected my coaches a lot. After all, that’s what my mom and dad taught me to do. But it wasn’t till after I went to Stanford University and coached college women that I really understood how hard it was to be a coach. All of a sudden, I thought back to my old coaches and I had even more respect than before.

So here’s my advice:

Be a Team Player: Give a helping hand, be friendly, patient, and encouraging. That helps out the team, but it really helps the coach, too!

Follow team rules, like being on time and taking care of equipment. Your coach doesn’t get paid much (if at all) and you make their job more enjoyable.

Listen to what your coach says, not how she says it. We all vent or lose patience sometimes and often don’t hear how harsh it might sound.

Talk to your coach about your thoughts and concerns. Usually, a coach is a coach because they believe they have something to offer you. Make a meeting, or talk on the phone. They care about you.

Finally, believe in them…as much as you want them to believe in you.