The Perspective of a Coach

In addition to working as an intern at Longstreth this fall, I have been coaching a middle school field hockey team and teaching the sport to some younger, elementary-aged girls. The perspective that I have gained so far in coaching many young athletes has been incredibly valuable.

Firstly, it has given me a new team to be a part of and commit to for the season. Since I am missing out on my own fall season due to injury, coaching this team has given me the space to set personal and team goals and work towards them throughout the fall months of the field hockey season. Maintaining athletic motivations with this middle school team is keeping me engaged with finding a place for athletics in my life right now in a modified way.

Acting as a coach has given me true insight into both the joys and challenges of leading a team. Like everything I do, I have put my all into coaching. Sometimes, I end up with good results, but not always! Finding ways to get the best out of each player has been challenging, and as the season goes on, I am finding that, while difficult, this process is essential to team success.

As a coach, I’ve had the chance to look back into my own experiences with various coaches and use them as inspiration. I’ve reflected on certain drills that I believe resonated with my teammates and I, forms of engaging practices structures, and efficient, motivating coaching styles. I have prioritized my own coaching style on the foundation of what I think has yielded positive personal results in the past. I’ve also been working on adapting to how the team I am coaching responds to different methods of coaching or styles.

A lot of the responsibility of leading a team comes from observations. Observation of one’s own experiences and how one’s team is responding to that are two examples. But, equally important to me, coaching has allowed me to learn more about why I prefer one coaching style over another in relation to my personality, talent, and on-field skills. It has given me the chance to reflect on concepts of the game that I know well and others in which I would like to become more well-versed. I have plenty more ideas to work on my own skills once I am training again after being around field hockey in this other, slightly different way. I have also been able to visualize the field from a different angle, with a problem-solving perspective. Instead of listening to my coach for adjustments, with my middle school team where I am the coach, I am more actively questioning what we can do on the field to make a difference or continue to have success in the play and helping them to understand how and when to make those certain changes. There are so many ways to engage and challenge yourself mentally in this way and develop a better field IQ.

Seeing the field hockey field from a new perspective has allowed me to learn an incredible amount. It has given me the chance to think critically about each move a player makes, from both the offensive and defensive mindsets. It has allowed me to stay mentally sharp in relation to on-field decision-making while not actively playing. I think this perspective is valuable to any field hockey player. Take advantage of an opportunity to coach others if you can, injured or not! When I return to play, I am excited to be able to analyze the play, of both my teammates and my opponents, more astutely and therefore develop better intentional mental actions and reactions to benefit my performance, all thanks to gaining experience as a coach, which has been very enjoyable in itself!