The Art of Coaching

    When we think of art I am sure many of us will think of famous paintings and buildings that have provided the world with pure beauty. What many of us will probably not think of is sport, or more specifically for this blog, soccer. But surely soccer must be considered an art-form.  It is a spectacle that is watched in every corner of the globe, whether it be on a wet and windy Sunday morning on the park, or on a Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford in front of 75,000 fans. What many people may fail to differentiate between is the art and the artist. While the players provide the visuals with their skill, the artist is the man who is stood or sat over on the sidelines. The art we see in games does not just happen, it takes much practice and an incredible vision and determination by the coach to produce their magnum opus.

Old Trafford- The Theatre of Dreams

   If we look at the coach as the artist we see that each coach has a different interpretation of the beautiful games. Just as you cannot compare David Hockney to Andy Warhol, you cannot compare the coaching styles of Arsene Wenger and Roy Hodgson. Just as Hockney and Warhol produced totally contrasting pieces of art to each other, Wenger and Hodgson are doing the same in soccer. There is no right or wrong way to do things as a coach, but you must stand firm to your belief and your vision. It is the job of the coach to make sure every training session offers an opportunity to create a masterpiece for game day, and it is up to the coach to develop their players to produce this masterpiece. Just like film directors use actors, musicians use their instruments, and painters use their brushes, coaches must use their players to define their vision. However, just as not everyone likes or understands a certain artist or pieces of  art, certain players and teams do not perform for coaches for the same reason. Each coach is different, but the most important thing is that the players buy into the product the coach is selling. Art is only as valuable as the owner believes it to be, and a teams performance for a coach defines the value of their coaching.

Wenger and Hodgson- Impossible to compare

    Looking at the best teams in the world we see some truly magnificent soccer been played. We appreciate the genius of the players because these are the ones that are providing us with the spectacle. What we often forget is that for the best teams it is the coach who has defined that vision for the player, and the players are merely the artwork the coach is producing. When we think of famous artwork such as the Mona Lisa we appreciate it, but we also appreciate Leonardo Da Vinci’s genius. So why when we see a great soccer team playing do we not always appreciate the artwork of the coach. What we see on game days is what the coach has developed through training session after training session in order to provide the best product for the fans and players alike.

    As a coach you must stand by your vision even when others question it, because if we start adapting our vision for other people we lose sight of what we are aiming to achieve. The truly great artists produce what they want and what they feel. A coach must aim to produce a team that plays the way they wants by using their methods. For a coach it should not be about personal recognition. The recognition should come from what they allow their players to produce on the field. A coach who wants personal recognition for themselves instead of their team is like The Beatles wanting to be famous without their music!