Nicole Johnson | Staff Writer

There is a spark in every athlete that only one person truly knows how to ignite: the coach. Behind all great athletes is a coach who once encouraged them, inspired them or made them want to work even harder towards their goals. They’re the leaders who have made an impact on others’ lives and create a drive within their athletes that lasts a lifetime. So what is it about a coach that really empowers athletes to be their best?

There’s more to coaching than producing good players or winning teams. While there are many different coaching styles and different ways of giving critiques, most athletes would agree on some common things that make their coach someone who they feel empowered by, even after their athletic career is over. Coaches empower each athlete with respect, drive, time and compassion.

RESPECT

APU Swim Team Head Coach Tim Kyle and Swimmer Heidi Zuniga

Athletes feel empowered when they have respect for his/her coach. When a coach is a leader on and off the field, athletes accept their advice with more certainty. Great coaches take the time to get to know their players within their sport, but also make an effort to know things about their everyday lives. If a coach puts in the effort to listen and understand, he/she will earn the respect of his/her players. Author and pastor Dr. John Maxwell says that, “Leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less,” and coaches who live by this are able to best empower their athletes.

DRIVE

Coaches can awaken the drive within their athletes that encourages them to push on. The best coaches are the ones who are able to find something within their athlete that makes them want to work hard.

Azusa Pacific football player Lucas Widmer said, “The thing I love about [my] coach is that he is not just coaching me on how to be a great football player, he’s coaching me on how to be successful in all aspects of life.”

Widmer’s coach challenges the team to constantly have a mindset of growth and to mature each day, which motivates him to give 100 percent in everything he does.

TIME

Athletes are influenced by coaches like former UCLA Bruins coach and hall of famer John Wooden who take the time to figure out how to motivate their athletes.

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment,” Wooden said.

Not all athletes need a coach to be yelling in their face telling them what to fix. A coach who takes the time to figure out the most successful way to make players feel empowered to be the best is a coach who truly cares. Coaches who are there for their players outside of the game are the ones who have a long-lasting impact.

COMPASSION

Athlete Meg Van Rijn

When a coach reaches out beyond the sports world and is able to touch the hearts of his/her athletes in a personal way, the athletes will feel empowered.

“What makes [my coach] a great coach is how he cares for his athletes outside of the pool,” said Heidi Zuniga, senior Azusa Pacific swimming captain. “When he has talks with us, you can see how big his heart is for the team and each individual through his words and expressions.”

She says that he reminds her of a dad who cares for everyone on his team and will try to do anything to help them to succeed, being there for them through everything.

Another Azusa Pacific athlete, sophomore Meg van Rijn, describes her basketball coach as someone who, “inspires [her] to work hard and do [her] best because he cares about [her] as a person first.”

Her coach desires for her to be the best basketball player she can be, but also desires for her to be a “committed Christ follower, an excellent student and respectable young lady.”

When reflecting on the death of his coach, Dean Smith, Michael Jordan said, “Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach —he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life.”

People often define coaches by how many wins they have in their career, but the more important aspect of coaching is in what ways they can empower their players beyond the game. Coaches who invest their time, care with their whole heart and challenge their athletes to be the best they can be, are the coaches who truly empower their athletes.