The Importance of Analytical Skills in Coaching Sports
One of the most visible traits of a successful coach has to do with motivation. On the sidelines, it's easy to tell which coaches bring energy and excitement to motivating their players, and which coaches take more of a cerebral approach to the field or court, saving their motivational energy for practice or individual meetings. Analytical skills are often less obvious at first, but they become apparent quickly, as the ways a coach picks his players and makes adjustments throughout a contest show his ability to pick apart his opponent's strategy and change approaches as needed.
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Assembling a Team
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Whether you're building a seventh-grade volleyball team or a 53-man NFL roster, you need to analyze many factors within your potential team. What positions are the most important? Is your quarterback more of a pocket passer or a scrambler? How will you choose your offensive linemen, as a result? Do you have locker room leaders? Are there talented players who will present attitude problems? How will you deal with that? These are just some issues that coaches must analyze when choosing players.
The Carrot or the Stick?
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Some coaches develop a reputation over time as real taskmasters, who are abrasive toward their players and teach that there is only one way to approach the sport: the coach's way. While this approach has worked for such coaches as basketball icon Bob Knight, gaining the wisdom to know when it's time to come down hard on a player or team, or when it's time to give a pat on the back and some encouragement, requires careful analysis of each player's personality, psyche and track record.
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Scouting Other Teams
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No matter what team sport you coach, scouting your opponents can give you valuable insight as to what you can expect when you play that team. Volleyball scouting can include tracking location of serves and spikes, as well as identifying passers who struggle with accuracy. Scouting basketball means charting shot location and finding gaps in a team's defensive schemes, as well as other tendencies. Collecting and analyzing this information is a crucial task for any coach who plans to win over the long term.
In-Game Adjustments
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So, your team worked all week on a stunting scheme that was sure to surprise your opponent's offensive line, or you saw a soft spot in your opponent's 1-3-1 half-court trap defense. The game starts, though, and they pick up your linemen, or the other team is playing man-to-man defense, full court. The rapidity with which you can see these tendencies and make changes in your own game plan to take advantage will determine the likelihood of your team's success.
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References
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