Everyone you work with as a head coach or assistant coach is unique. So, your experience with them will be slightly unique as well. No two head coaches will be the same, so you will need to adapt slightly on all new coaching experiences, but hopefully some of what I say will be helpful to you.

I have served as an assistant coach at middle school through college levels, and I have served as head coach from youth through high school levels, and every coaching experience is also unique!

As an assistant coach I've had all types of experiences - some of those depending on who the head coach was.

I had experiences where what the head coach was doing wasn't anything close to what I felt I'd do.

I had experiences where all I was trying to do was absorb and learn as much as I could from the head coach.

No matter what the situation, you are there to support the head coach and the program.

Trust And Relationships Are Crucial

One thing that I always felt was important was not being a "yes man" to the head coach. I always answered any questions truthfully and honestly. I wanted what was best for the team and the only way to do this is being honest, in my opinion.

Sometimes my answer disagreed with head coaches, sometimes it didn't. But once a decision was made by the head coach, I supported it 100% (whether I had agreed or not).

A lot of these things worked so well, and our teams had a lot of success, because of the trust and the united front we put forth. The head coach knew that I had his back with the players and with the parents.

I had developed a relationship with the head coach over years. I KNEW that he trusted me and didn't question my motive for anything. I could be brutally honest, and was on many occasions, but only because I had already developed a level of trust.

Would I have been so blunt with my opinion if I was new to the staff? Absolutely not.

And this is where having a feel for the head coach, and the relationship you have developed, come into play.

But you always want to be honest and share your opinion when asked. If the head coach doesn't agree, that's ok. You've voiced your opinion - support their decision and move on.

Alleviating Stress

There is more stress on a head coach. I know this from being both a head coach and an assistant.

There are a lot of great things about being the head coach and running the program, but there are also a lot of great things about being an assistant coach.

For me, as an assistant, I felt I could focus much more just on the coaching aspect and breaking down film, as opposed to some of the day-to-day headaches of running a program.

What can you do to help alleviate those headaches for the head coach?

Start by asking if there is anything you can take off their plate.

For one head coach, I did all of the subbing for several years. So, I rotated players in and out of the game. For the head coach, it allowed them to focus on different areas during the game, and it also helped alleviate one of the biggest issues a head coach might deal with, playing time.

Since I was the one doing the subbing, the players and parents didn't see it as just the head coach determining playing time…they knew we were on the same page as a coaching staff.

Evaluation And Reflection

Have an informal sit-down evaluation at the end of the season. Hopefully it is sometime after the season and you've both had time to reflect on the season. You can...

1 - Ask for feedback and what went well this season and areas you can improve on as an assistant.

2 - Share what you thought went well and if you have any concerns, now is the time to voice those concerns.

3 - Maybe have 2 or 3 things that you know you can take off their plate next season that would help and you'd be comfortable doing. It could be a wide variety of things, like…

• Be in charge of uniform check in/check out
• Implement all inbounds plays
• Design a practice plan once a week (one you share with the head coach in advance so you get approval).

And again, if your head coach doesn't let you implement any of your ideas.....try not to take it personal. That just might be the type of head coach they are. But you can always keep trying and keep offering.

Be Specific With Advice

One thing that I did not enjoy when I was a head coach was when I would hear the same problems over and over from an assistant coach, without a suggested solution.

Maybe our offense wasn't effective one game and an assistant coach would remind me on the bench over and over that the offense was not working.

It was obvious we were struggling on offense. As a head coach I don't want to hear that over and over. Instead, give me a suggestion of something to try, or why you think it is not working.

I may agree or disagree with your suggestion, but I would definitely appreciate you attempting to help me solve a problem with a specific idea or observation.

Try Not To Take Things Personally

This is sometimes easier said than done. Coaching is stressful. Being a head coach is even more stressful. Over the course of a season, there are likely times the head coach will say or act in a way that might offend you.

TRY not to take it personal. Tough, I know, but usually they are frustrated with something the team is doing/not doing, or maybe frustrated with an email from a parent, and simply taking it out on those around them.

Let it be water off your back. We all get caught up in the heat of the moment at times.

Hope this helps you define your role as assistant coach. It’s a pretty important position!

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First Joseph A. Smith says: 1/11/2022 at 1:51:32 PM Thanks for this article. As a head coach that has been an assistant as well, this perfectly captures how I tried to be as a member of the staff. Forwarding to my staff, and apologizing for any times they had to "Try not to take it personally!" Like   1 person liked this. 1 reply   login   register Mark Brase says: 1/11/2022 at 2:20:57 PM Glad you found it useful. Sometimes it is important for both the Assistant Coaches as well as the Head Coach to take a step back, and take a deep breathe, and refocus during the season. We all know that once the season gets going, it can get very busy, and very stressful for everyone! I love the fact that you are emailing your staff with apologies.... makes me think of coaches I should apologize to as well! Good luck this season! Mark Brase Breakthrough Basketball Like     login   register Pam Dudley says: 1/12/2022 at 8:43:07 AM Thank you so much for this article. This article has come at the right time for my new role this year, I will study the role that I need to play in our organization. Like   1 person liked this.   login   register

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