What Makes a Bad Coach (2024)

By: John Klessinger

Originally Published in: A Coach's Manual

Provided by: Championship Productions

"Even bad teams have optimism. The Bad News Bears'
coach wouldn't even tell his team that." - Rob Babco*ck, Former NBA General Manager, Toronto Raptors

Again, my opinions and thoughts on bad coaches are just that, opinions and views. I took some of my beliefs on ineffective coaches from how I did things early in my career. Others are from observation of hundreds of coaches over the years. For the record, the comments made do not make a person a bad coach or person. Mainly, the practices and methods, in my opinion, take away from the potential of a program. Something that needs stating- no one gets into coaching or working with young athletes with the intent of not doing their best. Many do not have mentors or models to "steal" ideas or practices. Early in my career, I went with my "gut" and did not consult others for help. I was young, hard-headed, and arrogant at times. I made mistakes without intent to improve and limited the potential of myself and my teams.

Bad coaches:

• Are resistant to change. "If it worked before, it will work again." Times change, kids change, the world changes. A good coach evolves and adjusts. A bad coach stays the same.
• Treat and coach all players the same. They motivate them all the same. It is not bad, and I respect a coach who holds everyone accountable to the same standards. However, we are all different, and what works for one kid may not work for another. We should hold everyone to a standard of attendance, rules, and program mission and expectation. A good coach coaches the players within their program differently to get the best out of them.
• They are more negative than positive in their communication with their players. Some believe being positive is a "soft" approach to coaching. The reality is that people want to hear good things about themselves. Players will be more receptive to criticism if they know you are positive and praise good behavior and play. If they only hear negative, they come to expect the negative and never will recognize their potential. Players will walk around in fear of mistakes and focus on what they do wrong instead of what they did right or their improvement.

There is a balance between positive and negative. Last night while watching college football, I heard the announcer praise Minnesota Head Coach P.J. Fleck for the positive culture he created in his organization.

• Focus on results and outcomes, not on developing players. "The little things take care of the big things." When we focus on developing our players from the bottom up, winning is the result. A coach can win games when the focus is only on winning. Plenty of coaches do. But when the focus becomes more about developing people, the coach will more often get the best of their players.
• Similar to resisting change, a bad coach does not make it a priority to improve their craft. They do not value personal or professional development. They are quick to blame others for their lack of success instead of looking within themselves to make changes. A good coach is consistently learning, growing and evolving. They know they do not have all the answers and recognize unlimited resources to improve.