By definition a coach is someone that trains or instructs people towards their goals, utilizing their expertise in a specific field(s). A coach’s role is to lend their expertise using the following 5 teaching / learning styles: visual, auditory, written, kinesthetic and multimodal. A good coach will have the ability to understand how their athlete(s) learn and will adapt their coaching methods in order to best cater to their needs. For example if a swimming athlete best learns through visual demonstration, their coach will then need to incorporate more videos or self review videos of what they are wanting the athlete to do in order for them to best digest the information. Another example is if a rugby player best learns through kinesthetic teaching, the coach must then physically take them through the motions of what is desired, in order for them to learn more efficiently.
There are coaches that have a wide range of skills in all aspects of the sports and within the strength and conditioning world. You can employ a coach to be as sport specific as you like or as broad as you like. It all depends on the desired goal.
Expertise/knowledge
Coaches tend to possess a wealth of knowledge and experience that athletes don’t always have. This knowledge can be valuable to you as an athlete as it could expand your arsenal of training methodology, which in turn can increase your performance. Having this extensive knowledge behind you can also increase your play/performance IQ as you now are able to learn from the positives and negatives your coach has experienced. Staying up to date with the latest methods of training, rules, technology etc is also important and most coaches typically tend to keep updated as it is necessary to progress with the times.
External outlook
Having an external set of eyes monitoring your training and performance is so important. Sometimes what you feel as an athlete is not always what is happening externally. Connecting these two pieces, having a strong connection between feel and the physical output means you have more control over your mind-body connection. A coach can provide feedback and cues for you to make your movement more efficient and create that strong connection between mind and body.
Honesty
Having friends or family critique you isn’t always the best idea. They tend to be less honest as they do not want to hurt your feelings or they lack understanding of what is correct and what isn’t. It is a coach’s job to be completely honest and open in a way that is conducive to the learning of the athlete. Pairing honesty with expertise means specific feedback can be provided and the correct changes can be made.
Guidance/sounding board
Having someone to bounce ideas off and a person that can provide answers to your questions is key to growth. A coach not only steers you in the right direction but helps you with developing a training routine, playing style, specific techniques etc that are best for you. And, the only way to find these individualized aspects are through talking, brainstorming, and then through trial and error. As an athlete it is very valuable having a coach that fosters athletes into being as close to autonomous as possible as this grows their knowledge and self awareness.
