I want to know what being a coach is all about

What skills do I need to coach?

Coaches are often considered as role models by their performers and therefore there are many skills and qualities needed by a coach in order to carry out the job effectively. The most important one is enthusiasm; you can get the best from the people you coach by being enthusiastic and hard working. It's also important that the coach has the following skills:

• good organisation skills,
• a good knowledge of the sport,
• the ability to communicate and the ability to inspire those that they are coaching.

The role of the coach can often be quite diverse; in many situations the coach is required to combine their coaching with other tasks, such as administration duties, financial responsibilities and liaising with other coaching organisations. It is therefore important that the coach has a range of skills to accommodate this.

What do I do next and how to I get these skills?

Embarking on some training is a good first step. You don't have to go straight onto a sport specific qualification as there are various organisations that run leaders or introductory courses. This type of course will allow you to develop a range of skills such as planning, preparing and delivering a sports session. The awards are often multi sport so an ideal starting point for anyone wanting to get involved in coaching sporting activities. This website will give you all the information you need to get yourself some training. You might want to also consider the following:

• What sport(s) do you want to coach?
• What age group do you want to coach?
• Where you can coach and what opportunities are available locally e.g. finding a local club/school/sporting group?
• What type of qualification you want to start with?

This site will assist you with all of the above!