The best way to learn anything is by observing and absorbing the actions and knowledge of those ahead of you. The most successful individuals across different fields share a lot of the same qualities. One quality all great coaches share is adaptability. There is constant change, our world is always shifting in new directions. Developing adaptability in coaching allows you to impact generation after generation, avoid being stuck in the past, and continuously improve both who you are and what you do.

What is adaptability

1. The ability to be present in the moment – Not worried about the past or present, simply focused on what is best for right now.

1. The ability to adjust to changing circumstances – Just because something worked in the past, doesn’t mean it’s going to work now. Being comfortable with change.

1. Having a plan but being willing to change that plan – Not everything works out the way you want. Our ego often prevents us from changing.

What means to have adaptability in coaching

How adaptability plays out in coaching

The ability to be present in the moment: It is extremely rare for a coach to work their entire careers at one place. Coaches hardly ever stay forever at the place of their first job. Being a coach also comes with an understanding that there is a lot of movement involved. Coaches are constantly going from one job to another.

This is partly due to the nature of the job but also how coaches are wired. Most coaches want to improve themselves and with that means trying to find a better opportunity. Many coaches dream of working in the NBA or at the Division 1 level.

Those “better opportunities”, however, will never come if a coach is not focused on doing the best possible job where they’re currently at. If they are only thinking about what’s next, then they won’t have the right commitment to what they’re doing in the present. Better opportunities come to those who give everything they have to where they are right now.

Take Shaheen Holloway for example. Even before the NCAA tournament started, his name was in the rumor mill for the Seton Hall job. But Holloway had to prepare his Saint Peter’s team for a March Madness run. Most people would agree that Seton Hall is a better coaching opportunity than Saint Peter’s. But if Holloway was more focused on the Seton Hall job than the upcoming tournament, maybe administration would have been as eager to hire him.

The ability to adjust to changing circumstances: The world is constantly changing, that is no secret. The way kids are coached today looks very different from the way kids were coached 30,40 years ago. Coaches like Jim Boeheim and Coach K have been able to have success coaching for over 40 years. That success stems from their willingness to be adaptable in who they are and what they do.

Coach K is someone who has always adapted to the constantly shifting times. In his earlier years at Duke, he would tend to recruit players who would stay 3 or 4 years of college. His teams were always older and had veteran presence. In his later years at Duke, he almost exclusively recruited players who were only going to play 1 year at Duke. Yet he was still able to put together championship contending teams’ year in and year out.

Coach K recognized that the college basketball landscape was changing. He could have stayed true to what he already knew because he was successful. But since he was abatable, he was able to change with the times and still have success.

Having a plan but being willing to change that plan: All coaches understand how much time is spent on planning. Whether it is a practice plan or a game plan, a big part of coaching is having a plan. Every coach has had an experience where they quickly discovered that their plan was not going to work. There are unforeseen circumstances that always come into play. In doesn’t mean that a coach was unprepared, but it’s impossible to have a plan for every single thing that could potentially happen.

A lot of times coaches will be unwilling to change from their original plan. That is because coaches don’t want to admit they’re wrong and possible show weakness. Or maybe they put so much time and effort into a plan, they didn’t think about their plan not working. So, they didn’t have any alternative solutions. But most of coach’s inability to adapt comes from ego. Our ego tells us we are always right and when we are wrong it’s not our fault. All coaches need to learn how to deal with their ego before they can truly become adaptable.

Why adaptability in coaching is so important

Coaches at all levels have to adjust how they coach based on who their players are. It’s rare for a coach to have the same exact team for more than one season. Player’s graduate, transfer, quit, retire, etc. Every year is a brand-new start for coaches. A certain style of play that worked last season may not work this season because the players are different.

The primary focus for a coach each year has to be on maximizing their current groups potential. That could mean adopting a completely new philosophy or style of play. It may not be what you are used to or comfortable with, but it can be necessary for your team to have success.

Adaptability in coaching has a lot to do with how you treat the players. Every player is different. They all have different personalities, needs, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. When it comes to managing personalities and getting the most out of the players, there is no one size fits all approach.

Everyone should be coached differently, but everyone should also be held to the same standards and expectations. Getting kids to respond the way you want requires a more customized and individualized approach. Some kids need to be pushed really hard; some kids need more encouragement. It takes adaptability to know what approach to use and when to use it.

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