How does online coaching impact the coach-athlete relationship?
Online coaching can have an impact on the coach-athlete relationship however, this is dependent on many variables such as the personality traits of the athlete and coach. That means some may enjoy it while others may dislike it. Coaching whether it be face to face or online is a social situation and factors such as thoughts, feelings and behaviours need to be considered. These can be altered when the mode of coaching delivery is changed.
How does face to face and online coaching differ?
Face to face learning occurs when the athlete and coach meet at a set place, for example this may occur in the gym or on the field. The session can be taken place as either a one on one session with one athlete being coached or group sessions where many athletes are in attendance with a coach at the same time. With this method, coaches can observe athletes up close and provide hands-on cueing by actively putting them in a position or guiding them through a movement pattern. Online coaching is a method of coaching that is taken place on online platforms that allow the coach to communicate with their athlete. This can take many forms such as video conferences over zoom to online messaging.
Strengths of online coaching:
Athletes can now be coached by their coaches from anywhere around the world. Geographical location is no longer a barrier for an athlete to receive help from their coaches. With travel restrictions still in place for many countries due to the pandemic this is becoming even more of an advantage for coaches and athletes. With the removal of travel to a venue or setting up the facility this opens up greater flexibility for scheduling for both the coach and the athlete as they have more time in the day. Another strength is that communication channels are always open. With email or text messaging you can contact your coach whenever you want to.
Weaknesses of online coaching:
Online coaching hinders the process of developing a better working relationship for the athlete and coach. Meanwhile, technology can be a hassle to work with and with that comes unnecessary issues that takes time away from our coaching. Having your athlete in a busy gym with a lot of noise while you try to coach them online can mean they may miss important cues. The ability for hands on cueing is gone when the coach is not physically present with you in the gym. Sometimes that can be the best method for the athlete to learn technique or movement pattern and that is taken away when the coach is not able to be there.
Which method of coaching is more effective?
Personally, I believe that face to face coaching is the more superior form of coaching. Things you get with face to face coaching that you would not get with online coaching are body language, tone and voice, energy and a greater ability to develop meaningful relationships with your athletes. These are all important factors in the coaching process and should all be considered when delivering face to face coaching. However, this is not to say that online coaching is not a valuable method of coaching. Private businesses can benefit from online coaching where they can market gym programs online through social media channels and sell them to people, meanwhile it opens the door for a larger clientele base as they are no longer restricted by location.
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