Looking the Part
September 19, 201302Coaching, Featured news, General, Youth SoccerTags: association, byte size coaching, club, coach, coaching, dad coach, dress code, football, look the part, mom coach, nscaa, soccer, soccer drills, soccer skills, tony waiters, volunteer coach, world of soccer, youth soccerKnowledge, playing ability and experience are all useful assets as a soccer coach.
Looking the part is something any coach can get right, but it is amazing how many don’t.
Turning up in construction boots, with soiled jeans and looking like something the cat’s dragged in, will mean the coach better do a super job with his practice. He or she is 0 for 1 before the practice gets goings.
Jeff Tipping, the Director of Coaching for the NSCAA, when he came on board as the full-time director a few years ago, insisted that the staff instructors adhered to a strict dress code. So it was red shirt, black shorts, red socks on Sunday; navy blue shirts, red shorts and navy socks on Monday; and so on.
As Jeff said at the time, “If you can’t coach, you better look like a coach!” I totally agree with him.
There is much more to coaching than looking the part, but it is a great start.
Pity our Dad Coach hasn’t quite got the message below. He’s tried hard, but he is just a tad out of date. Ah, well! Nice try!
What do you think, is it important to look the part?
2 Comments
I believe that it is more important to be a good coach than to look like a good coach.Obviously is preferable to be a good coach and look the part also. Most pro coaches are given resources or equipment to make them look good . If I were choosing a coach for my kids, the number 1 priority would be “Does he know his stuff?'” No 2 would be ‘Does he look as if he knows his stuff?”
Important to dress appropriately, but I sure as heck don’t try to look like a soccer player. I’m the coach not one of the team! I wear leggings or shorts and running shoes to practice with a basic t-shirt. I skip soccer shoes and shin pads, although I guess soccer shoes aren’t the worst idea!