Understanding your athlete

Understanding your athlete is one of the most important aspects of being a coach. There are many, many different slants to this, from learning processes to motivational needs. Understanding all these different aspects takes years of practice and a true commitment of time.

However, the first step to understanding your athletes as a coach is to realise where they have come from and where they want to go – in a sporting sense of course. Very few athletes will have the same coach throughout their sporting careers. Therefore, realising your capabilities as a coach is crucial to the ongoing success of your athletes.

The following diagram will help you as coaches understand the level of athletes you can or should be working with.

Download A PDF version of the above Athlete-Coach Development Pathway.