Me, obviously. That's the whole post. You can go now.
In all seriousness, it's a difficult question for coaches, athletes, and parents to consider. Deciding what coach or instructor you should listen to, in a world that thanks to social media has an ever-expanding pool to choose from, can be a daunting task. If you've heard of me before the previous paragraph, you know that I'm a former college pitching coach who now runs an academy program and is a pitching coach with the National Pitching Association. Of course, that means I pay close attention to Tom House and his teachings. He's my personal favorite to learn from because he blends knowledge with what I believe is a very genuine and people-first approach. However, I learn a lot from other people too. I spend way too much time looking at what other people are doing and seeing if it matches my teachings, or if not, why, and whether or not there's merit to this new method. I'd estimate that I spend 2-3 hours each day watching videos or reading articles/studies about pitching, and depending on the source, they can be teaching opposing concepts. Frankly, it gets overwhelming sometimes. So where do we begin? Let's break down some of the different aspects to consider when deciding who you want to listen to:
Playing Experience
A coach or instructor's playing experience is nice to know, and will yield better stories the higher it goes, but it really isn't all that important. Coaching is teaching, and if someone isn't good at transferring information to another person or group, the amount of playing experience they have really doesn't mean much. Consider it a bonus item rather than a prerequisite.
Coaching/Instructing Experience
Years and level of experience are often the gold standard for evaluating coaches. Coaches at higher levels have access to higher level players, and are assumed to have knowledge of high-level concepts. Many coaches do have that knowledge. Experience also allows someone to have experience more situations, sometimes even across multiple generations. That can be very helpful for becoming a more well-rounded coach.
Education/Certifications
Continuing education often shows a coach's willingness to learn new things and improve their craft. However, stacking certifications doesn't automatically make you a good coach, and this is coming from a guy who could sign his name with the acronym alphabet. How you translate that knowledge is still key. It's almost important to remember that not every certification takes the same amount of time to earn, and that not all come from sources of the same quality. Finally, what the certification or degree is for makes a difference. A license to teach high school is awesome (I have one), but it's not super helpful if you're looking for someone to coach your 10 year old.
Teaching Ability
Coaches need to be able to take information and deliver it to players effectively. It can be helpful if they have a formal teaching background, but it's not required. Someone who can effectively deliver information to players is immensely valuable, but they're still limited to the knowledge that they possess.
Knowledge
On the other side of teaching ability we have knowledge. Without knowledge, a coach doesn't have much to teach. Is what's being taught supported by data? Have there been any studies on the subject? However, knowledge is only valuable in coaching to the extent that it can be transferred. If you can't share it with your players, they can't use it. The validity of the knowledge is also important. Is what's being taught supported by data? Have there been any studies on the subject? Anyone can say anything. What matters is if it can be proven.
Personality
Players don't want to listen to people they don't like. There are exceptions, but this is true for the majority. Being able to develop relationships is a very important for coaches. However, like the above, it's not very valuable on its own because of the inverse. A coach with a great personality and knack for developing relationships isn't very valuable if they don't have any knowledge or teaching ability.
Bottom Line
So who should you try to learn from? Ultimately, it has to be based on your values, and nobody can make that decision for you. If I'm making the decision for myself and I can only pick three of the above to make my perfect coach, I'm considering Knowledge, Personality, and Teaching Ability, probably in that order. That's not to say that Playing Experience, Coaching Experience, and Education aren't important because they definitely are. I just know that if I was asked to take three traits to the coaching version of a deserted island, I'm bringing my Knowledge, Personality, and Teaching to get the job done. But to each their own. The most important thing for you to do is decide what matters and pursue the coach who best fits those values.
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