By Kate Fox
(May 6, 2024)

In my four short years of coaching cross country and track, I have witnessed a team win a state championship, while observing athletes suffer from career-ending injuries, poor performance due to mental health, and not getting along with their teammates. There have been triumphs and failures. Throughout this journey, I have asked myself this question: Is there a perfect training system for high school athletes to perform their best? If there is, I have yet to find it. What I did discover in a recent graduate course I completed, is that each coach needs to be authentic.

In the course, we listened to podcasts of doctors and coaching experts. The information shared allowed me to reflect and now focus on a specific set of skills to perfect my art as a coach, and to better each athlete I encounter. To help athletes be the best they can be, I will strive to create a great team culture, be intentional and purposeful about the feedback I provide, be more aware of my athlete’s mental health, provide better individualized instruction, and improve my presence at practice.

Team Culture

Within the sports of cross country and track, there is an individual and team aspect of success. This success relies heavily on the culture a team and coach produce. I have learned that creating culture is a process, and it will not appear overnight. If I focus on just the star athletes, I will not find a successful team. Instead, I need to build intentional relationships with all the athletes I have on my roster. Student athletes burn out faster when they do not feel valued, exemplifying why I need to intentionally build these relationships. When athletes feel valued, they will better understand their roles within the team.

To help all athletes understand the expected behavior within the culture, I will also provide standards and expectations to follow. An essential element regarding expectations within a culture is the “have to” versus “get to” attitude. I want to instill in athletes that each day at practice is an opportunity to get better. They should be proud that they get the opportunity to improve. I also want each person to understand they have a pivotal role on the team. We will function best as a unit, and that idea is something I would like to prove every day. The expectations I will set (to name a few) are to be on time, work hard, and be kind to those around you. When these things do not happen, there will be reinforcement and follow-up with the athletes.

Feedback

In the podcasts I listened to, coaches found that giving feedback in a one-on-one setting was the most beneficial for helping athletes, and something they wished they had done more. I plan to create specific pieces of feedback, tailored to each individual to find success. I have already implemented this with my track team this season. My assistant coach and I break down every race and pick one thing to discuss with the athlete. This way, there is an intentional focus and not information overload. When considering feedback for an athlete in an area other than a race, I still need to ensure I do not overwhelm the athlete. I can create a list of feedback topics for each athlete, but I will be strategic with how I structure the delivery.

Feedback is one aspect of communication, and I would like to be intentional in my communication. For example, in the past I never let the athletes know ahead of time what they were doing. A change I will try for next season will be to post the weekly workout schedule so athletes can get in the right head space for each day. With that, I also want to be more intentional with the teaching behind the coaching. I will no longer just say, “today is a tempo workout.” Instead, I will explain what it means to do a tempo run, and what is expected of the athlete.

Mental Health

One of the podcasts we reviewed offered a discussion on how to structure practice to promote mental health. One coach called this “mind chatter.” These are the negative thoughts an athlete has regarding their performance. The best way to handle this anxiety is to admit it is there, and help athletes learn cues for redirecting their thoughts. This redirection is called a mistake ritual. A mistake ritual prepares an athlete for a mistake. They know mistakes will happen, and we practice the series of events after to allow for the anxiety around the mistake to disappear. Along with this, athletes must give themselves a certain number of mistakes per competition, because we are not masters of our sport.

Individualized Instruction

In the past, I have developed workouts that would best suit the group. A change I will try is tailoring each workout to each individual. The podcasts we reviewed reminded me that I will have a variety of athletes-most of whom will not play in college. This is their only experience to do the sport they enjoy, and they want the memories to be enjoyable. With that, I will use my relationships with each athlete and the culture we develop to ensure that each athlete has the best possible practice plan to be successful. The goal I will keep in mind is that athletes are with me to grow and develop. Authenticity, empathy, and unconditional regard are the three necessary pieces to making this work. For me, this is the reminder that I need to hear an athlete’s story and believe it to allow for the most amount of growth.

My Presence

I would like to improve how I present myself in practice and competitions. The kids will watch me and match my energy. I need to be very aware of my demeanor, how I handle situations, and how I treat everyone. I will come to practice in a positive mood, I will share my knowledge, I will be caring, and I will follow our team expectations. When faced with difficulty, I will handle it with ease and grace. I have also learned the importance of a life outside of the sport. Kids need an escape, and they need to have success in other areas of their life. Because of this, I will be intentional with showing interest in the athlete’s other skills, activities, and interests. We are all out here striving to be our best, and it is more fun when we can be appreciated for more than just the sport we play.

After reflecting on my coaching self, I will become intentional about teaching athletes the necessary skills to develop. I will also respect each athlete; they will be equally valued and seen. I will strive to create a culture that is welcoming, promotes self-improvement, and encourages diversity. Athletes will be held to high standards, and there will be consequences if they do not follow these expectations. I thought I knew what coaching was beforehand, but now I know it is more than teaching kids about a sport. I am working with people who will be a part of society, and they deserve to feel what it is like to be a part of a group that is rooting for their success.

The Ways of Champions Podcast is the podcast referred to in this article.