Being coachable

In the relatively short time I’ve been a coach, something I’ve realised I will keep on learning about is the art of coaching; working with each individual athlete and the physical and mental characteristics they bring. No two people are the same and thus the coaching approach and strategy is never the same – this is the beauty of human uniqueness, and what makes coaching an ever challenging and enjoyable pursuit.

What I have also learned is that the approach and attitude each athlete brings to the coaching relationship is also unique, and has a direct influence on how successful the coach-athlete partnership ends up being. In essence, the more "coachable’ an athlete is, the more you will achieve.

While there is no set formula for what defines coachable, there are some general points I’ve found are worth highlighting about the more coachable athletes (and this is not exhaustive!!). So, in no particular order here they are.

Reliable and ResponsibleReliable athletes are the ones you can depend on to be doing the things that serve the coach-athlete relationship best. This ranges from being on time to training (or advising if they will be late/absent) to doing the proper warm-up, being responsible for their own actions and more. For a coach to be able to rely on athletes being responsible means less of their time is taken up by catering for trivial matters, and more of their attention can be given to meaningful coaching.

Listeners and LearnersIn his book, Chris McCormack says that when you stop learning from your coach it is probably time to move on. This also means that the more coachable athletes are the ones who listen and learn from their coach, which also means they ask questions and absorb what they’re being told. Good coaches are also educators about sport, and often also about perspective and other worldly matters. Great coaches inspire because of their wisdom and ability to develop a deep love of the sport and all that it involves. Coachable athletes will lap it up and thirst for more understanding of the sport and their place in it.

Open Minded and Open CommunicatorsI don’t think anyone would disagree that communication is central to any good relationship. A coach-athlete relationship is the same where the ability, on both sides, to discuss plans, consider feedback, evaluate options, disagree, collaborate and more is invaluable in ensuring the best strategy towards achieving your goals. There is never a right approach, just the best one you can come up with at that time, so stay open minded and communicate feedback on what you’re thinking and experiencing.

RespectWhen an athlete engages a coach there is an implied level of respect for the coach and the attributes they bring to the relationship. So it only make sense to uphold that respect for the services they are providing, which doesn’t meant to worship the coach, but to pay them the duty of treating them as you would expect them to treat you, through good times and bad. Respect is something that is earned over time, and if you lose respect then the relationship is able as stable as a house of cards.

Humility and a Sense of HumourWhether you’re world champion of a back-of-pack athlete, you’re still just a person with two arms and two legs and one brain, and in that sense we are all equal. Sure, some have a greater capability than others once training / racing gets going, but until then we're all equals, and that is how you should behave. In the same sense, a sense of humour is a sense of who you really are, being able to laugh at yourself as readily as you laugh at other things. Humility and sense of humour reflect on a healthy perspective about the sport, and life.

Enthusiastic and MotivatedThese final characteristics in many ways are a result of - or culmination of - all the other points. Athletes who want to be coached, will be, and they will be excited about what they can achieve in partnership with a coach. Without enthusiasm and motivation an athlete will struggle with any task. The coach will never give the athlete motivation. It must come from within, and with it everything falls into place.


You will notice that none of these things relate to the physical capabilities of an athlete, because in many ways that is secondary to the approach they bring. Being coachable is about the attitude an athlete brings with them, because it's your attitude at the start of a challenge that has the most influence on the outcome.

Of course, there is an equal list of things that athletes should be looking for in coaches, which may include many of the same points I’ve mentioned above!! But lists aside, athletes and coaches have found many and varied ways of making the relationship work, and as long as you are enjoying your sport and the role of your coach then that sounds like a happy and productive situation to be in.