The bond that is created between an athlete and a coach can be considered the most sacred, and it is essential that this relationship is not abused in any shape or form.
To build this relationship from strength to strength it is key that the coach has the leadership skills and constantly be improving these skills.
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done and they help themselves and others to do the right thing through many different skills.
These skills can then be passed on from the teacher to the student, not only making them a better athlete but also building them as a person.
Good leadership skills are important for a coach of athletes of any age because after their parents their coach is the biggest influence that they have, if a coach is seen to be a good, strong leader, it will inspire them to work harder to get to where they want.
Another reason that leadership skills are vital is so that the coach can get the skill or training session done successfully without too many obstacles and interruptions.
There can be many ways for someone to improve these skills, some of these can be trivial things such as listening more or even just paying more attention to the athlete so you can realise what they need to improve.
There are many different things that can be seen as examples and elements of successful leadership some of the key elements associated with being a successful leader for a coach is building a positive relationship with the athletes or students, challenging the athlete, supporting and encouraging them and driving them for results.
Building a positive relationship: It’s easier to learn from someone who you trust, that is why coaches must try and develop a strong positive relationship with their students. They have to be careful to establish a healthy and effective set of boundaries. These boundaries help to keep this relationship professional yet effective at the same time.
Challenging the athlete: Challenging the athlete, is key for the improvement of the athlete and it allows you to become more aware of what they can and cannot do. Challenging helps to improve the leadership skills of the coach because it shows the athletes and parents of the athletes that they are interested in the results of each individual child and not just treating them as just another child and treating them all the same, not challenging them in any shape or form to ensure they become the best athlete that they possibly could be.
Supporting and encouraging: It is vital that as a leader the coach shows that they are there to encourage the athlete and there to support them. The relationship built between each individual athlete and their coach is very different, it shows a real leader who makes the time to support and encourage everyone, they can be there for emotional or physical support always there to help them especially in situations when the going gets tough. Sometimes this support can be an outlet for the athlete, if they have a problem that they feel they cannot approach a parent, a coach is there for them in support and can help them how ever possible.
Drive them for results: A final example of good leadership in a coach especially is the way that a coach can drive them for the best results possible by that athlete. The athlete must want to succeed not just do it because they must, they will not succeed to the best of their ability just because they were told to, they have to want to. The leadership the coach expresses towards the athletes can help to inspire them to drive for the best results possible.
No one is a born leader, but everyone can develop and improve leadership skills.
Some simple ways that anyone can improve their leadership skills are improve communication, maintaining a positive attitude, be passionate, and set goals and follow concrete plans.
Improving communication seems like such a simple task but it can have amazing effects, it allows for athletes to understand a coach clearly and believe and trust what they are doing.
Sometimes just talking can resolve so many issues, it can show them that you are there for them for support, but effective communication is also essential when in charge to ensure that the plan and goals for the future are portrayed successfully between coach and athlete.
Another effortless way to improve effective leadership is by maintaining a positive attitude, a positive attitude is something so easily fixed and maintained, it’s one leadership elements that has a larger effect on yourself, a positive attitude makes the long hours of sacrifice and work easier and more enjoyable which in turn passes onto the athletes making a more enjoyable and positive training atmosphere.
Finally, an ideal way to help and improve leadership skills is to set goals and plans and follow these exactly.
These goals and plans helps you to see where you are going and how much they are improving or the areas that may need to be improved on.
Being a coach is involves being a good leader and inspiration for the athletes, but it is also about ensuring that they do the best that they possibly can and improve in every-way possible.
It is obvious that being a good coach doesn’t mean that they are a natural born leader but there are a vast number of ways that they can improve their leadership.
Some of these skills that can be improved on include improving communication, maintaining a positive attitude, be passionate towards the students and whatever their situation may be, and finally setting goals and plans and following these carefully.
As well as all of these small things that can be improved on when it comes to leadership but there is numerous examples that we see as being a coach such as when they maintain and build a positive relationship with the athlete, when we challenge the athlete to help them improve to the best of their ability, when we support and encourage them and finally after support and encouraging them it’s when we drive them for the results that they are capable of.
Molly Cantwell 
Olivia O'Dwyer 
Joe Costigan