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3 Styles of Sports Coaching
Articles | Online Master of Coaching Education

3.
“Coach” and “leader” may not be entirely synonymous, but their roles are related. Both manage and
improve their teams, and act as examples for others to follow. Their position and in uence are vital to
building team relationships, reaching goals, and providing a healthy environment for constructive
growth. Coaches are leaders within the eld of athletics.
Sport coaches often utilize unique approaches to connect with their players and play a successful
season, and, in doing so, develop the best coaching style that works for them and their team. The way
they choose to interact can directly a ect a team’s morale, understanding, practice, and progress.
There are various coaching styles that can be implemented, with some integrating multiple aspects
from one another. A sports coach can bene t from understanding the advantages and disadvantages
of a coaching style when deciding how they want to interact with their players.
Autocratic Coaching
Autocratic coaching is the dictatorship of coaching styles. The coach is generally the only one who has
input and makes decisions autonomously when considering the direction of their team. With
autocratic coaching, coaches might explain the objectives and goals to their players (and they can ask
limited questions), but the coach has ultimate say in regards to how the team acts and plays.
This coaching style might not be suitable for teams comprised of experienced and passionate athletes.
It sti es creativity and can lower morale due to the restrictions it places on the players. To train and
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4. play to the best of their ability, players usually want to feel important to their team—a feeling not
easily found when following a rigid and unappreciated plan.
However, autocratic coaching does have some bene ts, though it may sound archaic. Although it is
not the optimum style for teams with experience, it is helpful for those made up of inexperienced and
new players. They are fresh to the game and have a lot to learn simply from doing drills and exercises
the coach knows will work. The players simply follow the instructions and learn how to play, trusting
the coach’s ability to mold them into a passable team.
Democratic Coaching
This coaching style prefers active communication and team involvement. Coaches who use the
democratic style encourage players to voice their opinions and thoughts in order to make the best
decisions. This engagement usually results in a stronger relationship with the team as well as a closer
inter-team bond.
Democratic coaching o ers a wider variety of ideas for the coach to choose from thanks to the team’s
input. The team’s input works doubly, not only assisting the coach but also making individual athletes
feel important to the team. When the athletes are invested in the team’s direction and decisions, they
tend to work harder to achieve mutually agreed upon goals. However, this style does come with some
disadvantages.

5. If the coach picks an athlete’s idea to use during practice or a game, the other athletes may feel
underappreciated or grow to resent their teammate’s ideas. Discussing and listening to everyone’s
ideas and making the best choice can be time-consuming. Most importantly, too much discussion and
input may undermine the coach, making them look indecisive. Players want to follow a strong coach
with resolve, and not a coach who follows the players’ ideas exclusively.
Holistic Coaching
This style covers more than just sport-related interactions: Holistic coaching adds aspects of life
coaching to the responsibilities of a sports coach. It is a style that considers aspects beyond the
athlete’s physical and mental states such as their emotional and spiritual states.
In the holistic style, the coach creates a relationship with every individual athlete based on
interpersonal communication and genuine care. When everyone is connected beyond their athletic
goals, the transparency and trust that is created will result in bene ts to the team. It will prevent
issues from occurring, encourage stronger team relationships, and establish clear and accurate
communication practices.
Similar to democratic coaching, the disadvantages fall mostly on the coach. Building such deep
relationships is exhausting for the coach mentally and emotionally. Investing in holistic bonds requires
tireless e ort and patience, and may take focus away from the original athletic goals.

6. Coaching with More Than One Style
Coaches rarely choose one style and stick to its guidelines. Coaches naturally coach and lead with a
style derived from their own personal experiences. Most of the time those experiences create a
unique style that combines aspects from styles like autocratic, democratic, and holistic. People who
want to lead others to success and create strong bonds may nd a passion for coaching sports. It
o ers an opportunity to compete towards a goal through their tutelage and motivation. Coaching can
be done with any style that bene ts the team and the individual players as a whole.
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Our Master of Coaching Education online program helps coaches build their abilities by teaching
advanced technical pro ciency, tactical knowledge, and leadership skills. Our graduates are equipped
with the technical and leadership skills important to maximize team performance and ensure a lasting
coaching career.
Recommended Readings
What Skills Do Sports Coaches Need to be Successful
3 Motivation Techniques for Coaches, from Coaches
Top 5 most inspirational sports coaches of all time
Sources

7. http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/Journal/Issue14/Holistic_Sport_Psychology.pdf
8 Advantages and Disadvantages of Democratic Leadership Style
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-drawbacks-autocratic-leadership-style-16616.html
http://www.stack.com/a/the-holistic-approach-to-impactful-sports-coaching
https://www.brianmac.co.uk/styles.htm
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