By Trevor:
This next coach is one that we all had a hard time listening to when he told us what to do, and that’s because this is the “Friend” coach.
The “Friend” coach is the dude who really gets to know his players and dissolves the barrier between coach and player. I got to play for a couple of these guys in my day. This is the guy who should be an assistant coach, but happens to be the head guy. I’ve got some good stuff on this guy.
- Gets personal with his players
I played for a guy like this in college and he was a great guy! This is the kind of coach that cares about you as a person and always has your back. He’s the guy who will joke around with you at practice. He’s the guy who asks about your love life during practice and will sit next to you on road trips. He may even be the guy who plays video games with you in the hotel room. This guy invests in the relationships of his players.
- Tries to be the nice guy
The “Friend” coach is not the dude who will blow you up in the middle of practice. He’s more the kind of coach to take you aside after practice. He won’t make you look like a fool in front on your teammates because he values the relationship he has with his players. He looks for opportunities to encourage. Be certain that if he does get mad and blow up at one of his players, it’s because he is pissed!
- Takes care of his players
The “Friend” coach is the dude who will make sure his players get all that they can. He is going to be the guy who tries to get the nicest uniforms and the nicest gear for his players. This is gonna be the guy who tries to get his players nicer hotels and better meals on road trips. He remembers what it was like being a player and wants to make sure that his players have the best stuff they can get. He is concerned about making his players feel valued and liked.
- Has a hard time maintaining respect
Here’s one of the difficulties of having this coach…it’s hard to respect a guy who messes around with you during practice. When he goes from joking around to yelling at you to do something, it’s hard to make that transition in your head. I had a coach like this that I found myself telling him what I thought we should do instead of listening to what he thought. More often than not, he did what I suggested. I’m not saying this is a good thing, but I have experienced the type of guy who doesn’t demand respect from day one. So it’s hard to respect a coach who is your buddy.
- Has a hard time maintaining authority
When the team gets out of hand, it’s hard for this coach to manage the situation. Due to his lack of respect from his team, he has a hard time being an enforcer. And what ends up happening is that when he tries to lay down the law, the players don’t allow him to. The players take advantage of his kind nature and they stretch him out all the time. Not that all teams do this, but this is a tendency of teams with a head coach that is the “Friend” mentality.
The truth is, this kind of coach ends up being an assistant coach, because this is the role of an assistant coach. The assistant coach comes alongside players and helps them and encourages his players. But a head coach position most likely will not be this type of guy. But we’ve all had this kind of “Friend” coach. He’s got his good qualities and then also the downsides. Each coach has their ups and downs, this guy does too.