This article is part 1 of a two part series by Coach Ron Jackson.
The Conflict Within … The Good Coach
By Ron Jackson
Ron Jackson is a thirty two year veteran of youth track and field. He has served in various capacities from Club Coach, local USATF Association President and Vice-Chair Operations of the National Youth Athletics Committee of USATF. He is a 9 year veteran Referee of the TAC / USATF National Junior Olympics before retiring in 1991. He currently serves as the Director of the United Age Group Track Coaches Association UAGTCA a long time, non-profit sports organization located in Philadelphia PA advocating for youth development in the sport of track and field.)
I have been asked often over my years of association with youth track & field what is my greatest sense of accomplishment and conversely what is my greatest disappointment. I can say unequivocally that my greatest sense of accomplishment has been my work with our local Track Coaches Association. Greater than the joy that I shared at the accomplishments of the athletes I coached and even greater than the satisfaction of seeing so many fine boys and girls turn into outstanding adults. Working with our local coaching association gave me the sense that so many other young athletes would share in the bounties that this sport has to offer for many years to come. We have provided a legacy and structure that should endure for years to come. Of that I am most proud.
Disappointments have been many and it would be hard to pinpoint a single one. If pressed, however, it would probably be that as adults we continue to make the same mistakes year after year, much to the detriment of our children’s development in the sport. We usually mean well but more often than not we get distracted by a false sense of urgency that makes NOW more important than WHEN. I often say that they call it development for a reason. It is not called developED that would signify a completed task not a work in progress. I truly believe that a coach at any level should expect the best out of their charges and be prepared to accept nothing less. That means that we should not be disappointed when an athlete does not win but only when they do not perform or prepare as expected. I have said many times that Excellence should be an expectation not a Goal. We should expect that our athletes will prepare and perform excellently and not be surprised or satisfied when they do. I submit that winning and losing is circumstantial and can be manipulated by a crafty coach or meet administrator. The pursuit of excellence, however, cannot be engineered. It comes from within and is the single most important trait that is derived from development.
That brings me to the most important point of this discussion. The development of any athlete starts at a very early age. It is influenced by many factors, the most significant of which are the coaches and training that they are exposed to. Like any great building or structure it must start with a great design. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you where to order the design. I will only prompt you to thank our Creator for your good fortune if you are amongst the selected. Many great designs, however, do not come to fruition as great buildings. There are many factors that can affect the outcome. Poor workmanship, inferior materials, weather, etc. but the single most significant factor is poor oversight at each stage of construction. While a bad engineer can doom the most well designed project a good one, in their chosen field of expertise, can save one from certain failure. I have never seen or heard of any major project that has been engineered by only a single individual.
Most have had the collaborative efforts of many who are experts in their field. If the mission is truly to produce a great structure then the recognition of the needed input of many experts is an accepted part of the project. So it is with athletes. True, I believe that they are born with the gifts necessary to achieve success in the sport but those gifts must be identified, nurtured, cultivated and finally harvested in order to produce a successful product. I believe that every coach along the way plays a role and is instrumental in the successful development of the young athlete. Someone must introduce them to the sport, plant that seed of competition and water the budding flower. Someone must cultivate the young athlete in an environment of faith, trust and yes even love.
The athlete must truly believe that what they are being asked to do is truly within their grasp because Coach said so. Someone must not only prepare the young athlete for success but for failure and disappointment as well. They must also be prepared to share those failures and disappointments with their charge. That is the mission of that very first individual who calls himself or herself coach. They must teach, cajole, listen and yes discipline their charge. They must prepare them for all eventualities. They can revel in any successes, bemoan any disappointments but most importantly they must prepare their athletes to move on to their next stage of development, As I stated earlier no great building has a single engineer and no successful athlete will have a single coach.
To be continued
[...] Read part 1 Here [...]