“Be prepared to be her brains when her brains fall out of her head”: Advice On How To Be The Best Assistant Coach You Can Be

Katie Hagan, Ursinus College Head Women's Lacrosse Coach

Dear Women in Coaching Blog Readers:  In the classic television sit-com, M*A*S*H, Corporal Radar O’Reilly displayed the uncanny ability to anticipate the wishes of his superior officers before they were aware of them and set in motion all of the necessary paperwork and directives that needed to be in place in order to make things happen.  A wonder of efficiency and organization, Radar navigated the complex bureaucracy and hierarchy of the United States Army with precision and skill, unlocking access to valued resources and privileges that were otherwise untouchable.  Good in a crisis, he delivered under pressure, protecting his boss, putting out fires when conflicts arose among the ranks, and serving as a sounding board for the discouraged, scared, or frustrated.    Without knowing the context in which he worked, you could well imagine that Radar was an assistant coach.* 

            And much like Radar, assistant coaches are often the ones behind the scenes in a program, making things move along smoothly and on track, their presence felt most in their absence.  That quality of blending into a program and being a seamless extension of it may explain why there is relatively little attention paid to what it really takes to be a good assistant coach.  In the recent Centennial Conference Snell-Shillingford Symposium, Gettysburg College head softball coach Samantha Abrams and Ursinus College head women’s lacrosse coach Katie Hagan offered their insights about women making the transition from player to assistant coach.  The themes they discussed included:

• Making The Transition From Player To Coach – this transition is critical for young coaches who are leaving behind their identity as a member of a team and moving into the role of an assistant coach.  Part of this transition includes thinking about life choices through the lens of a coach rather than an athlete.  From rethinking how and where a coach socializes (and with whom) to cultivating a professional reputation, getting this transition right sets the foundation for where a coach goes in the future.
• Understanding What It Means To Be An Assistant Coach – every program, every institution, and every coaching staff is different.  Messages that convey a sense of “how we do things here” are invaluable in helping assistant coaches fit in and signals not to be ignored.  While job descriptions provide some information about expectations, communication between a head coach and assistant coach to clarify those expectations further is an important investment in the success of the relationship and the program.  For an assistant coach, getting on the same page as the head coach as quickly as possible should be a top priority.
• Becoming Indispensable – a primary role of an assistant coach is to complement the head coach.  Relieve the head coach of things that she or he either does not have the time and/or patience to handle.  Assistant coaches should be prepared to match the head coach in terms of time and commitment to the program.  Becoming indispensable means getting into the office before the head coach, performing job responsibilities without having to be checked on, contributing with new ideas and thoughtful suggestions when appropriate, and inspiring trust that you can be relied upon to get the job done. 
• Delivering the Tri-Fecta:  Trust, Respect, & Loyalty – relationships take work, whether those relationships are personal or professional.  The head coach/assistant coach relationship is built on trust, respect, and loyalty.  Head coaches need to proceed with confidence that their staffs will support them.  While assistant coaches need not blindly agree with head coaches and should contribute meaningfully by offering alternative perspectives and suggestions, exercising diplomacy and picking the appropriate time and place to air concerns is an important consideration. 
• Serving As Advisor, Mediator, and Facilitator – in the delicate echo system of a team, assistant coaches typically play a critical role in listening to player concerns, offering perspectives to help players better appreciate the decisions made by the head coach, and defusing potential frustrations and conflicts before they become destructive.  While some confidences can be maintained between assistant coaches and players, it falls to assistant coaches to determine how much information needs to be shared with head coaches.  Striking the proper balance so as not to undermine the authority and standing of the head coach while validating the concerns of athletes and remedying problems requires listening skills, thoughtful guidance, and judicious disclosure. 
• Becoming An Unsung and Unheralded Hero – it is often said that the first quality of a good assistant coach is unselfishness.  Assistant coaches are ultimate team players, conscious of the universal “we”. 

In summarizing the approach an assistant coach might take to the job, Katie Hagan offered this immortal piece of advice, “Be prepared to be her brains when her brains fall out of her head.”  No sentiment could more aptly describe what an assistant coach is called upon to do.  With the pressures and demands of being a head coach, there is simply not enough time in the day to attend to everything that needs to be done.  An assistant coach with a bit of Radar O’Reilly in her is destined to be an invaluable asset to the head coach and the athletes with whom she works. 

 *Note:  For fans of the Radar O’Reilly character, you will most likely be familiar with the evolution of that character over time.  At one point, O’Reilly might not have been the ideal assistant, inclined as he was to undermine authority.  The O’Reilly referenced here is the later character. 

Gettysburg College Head Softball Coach Samantha Abrams