At Fairdale High School in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to extend the conversation about the metaphor of “teacher as coach, student as worker,” several athletic coaches offered the following teaching guidelines in their own words.

• Work specifically on individual weaknesses one on one, demonstrating the correct execution of the stroke, etc.
• Communicate exactly what is expected in terms of punctuality, behavior, and performance.
• Plan practice to be challenging but keep some fun in it. Vary what you do– don’t let it get monotonous or boring.
• Model the correct movement and break it down into its basic, fundamental parts.
• Have a sense of humor; poke fun at yourself sometimes. Joke with the kids some to help them relax and enjoy the sport.
• Let the kids know that you love your job and you care about them and their success.–Lloyd Harris, tennis coach

   

• Emphasize to all members of the team that it is their team, not the coach’s team. We use the word “our” a lot.
• The ultimate goal is for the student to take total control of the task at hand within the framework of a team concept. We want them at the conclusion to be able to coach the game themselves. Throughout the season we continue to shift the burden of responsibility to the player. It never ceases to amaze me how readily the student accepts these problem-solving activities under highly stressful conditions.–Robert Thompson, assistant football coach

   

• Be open-minded for change–learn from your students. Everyone is different.
• Treat all students fairly and care about each of them.
• Involve everyone daily–no standing around.
• Distribute responsibility, as much as a student will take; don’t force it.
• Instill pride!
• Be truthful; kids can see right through half-truths and exaggerations.
• Be enthusiastic, and don’t be afraid to show emotions–love is a very strong motivating factor.
• Encourage maximum effort daily; emphasize that you play like you practice.
• Never let a student have two bad days in a row.–Mike Fletcher, football coach

   

• Personal commitment of time to each player.
• Teach and reteach; they can’t get it right the first time and forever more.
• Patience–patience–patience.
• Set goals players can reach.
• Reward success.
• Never let one fail; find his success niche.–Stanley Hardin, basketball coach

   

• Set your expectations to the point where they are difficult to obtain, and don’t relax on these expectations. Be consistent!
• Never leave a kid with a negative feeling about himself or herself. If you have to correct them, make sure before they leave that you pick them back up.–Mark Wilson, assistant football coach