Your Path to Success as a Football Coach

Your Path to Success as a Football Coach

Whether you are looking to start coaching or to stay in coaching, there is a #1 strength that will make you stand out – versatility.

You don’t have to be an athlete to work in athletics, but you have to focus on the business side of sports. 98% of those in the sports industry started as an intern in their college athletic program. The key secret of getting into the laboratory of sports is to educate yourself through courses, certificates, and degrees.

You have to come in through the back door even though your passion is coaching – you will not be able to get onto the field without any sports management education. I’ve always said that my Master’s and Doctorate I got immediately after my Bachelor’s was my launchpad to being hired back to teach – even though my motive was to coach. Ultimately, they opened doors for me to coach professionally in the NCAA for 12 years.

Currently, there is a revolution in the sports industry. Only now you have the opportunity to become an expert online while you work or coach. Jobs are changing. Academic advisors, compliance officers, recruiting coordinators, etc, can now become GMs or presidents of teams. That’s how exciting the opportunities are in coaching – whether in high school, college, or pro.

SMWW has the tools to help students and coaches like you get up to speed with the changing world. We offer a variety of sports management courses and degrees to accelerate your growth and improve your versatility as a coach online.

Lynn Lashbrook
President
Sports Management Worldwide

Advancement
To enter or get further into the coaching world, you must know how to promote yourself and your team. This includes understanding personal career planning, team funding and sponsorships, media and marketing, sports medicine and liability, group dynamics, skill development, and how to conduct a successful job search. SMWW offers this training in our 8-week online Coaching at the Next Level course. In this course, you will gain real-time experience by talking weekly with Winning Sports Program President Dr. Jim Krause.
Analytics
Every dedicated coach must understand the analytics of football in order to use data to create winning strategies. You have to view your players, opponents, and plays through an analytical lens to maximize your team’s performance. It’s your job to transform the data in a way that is applicable to individual players and strategies. You need to understand football player metrics, what data is available, how to use data to communicate, analytical questions in player personnel issues, and analytical questions in coaching issues. SMWW offers this training in our 8-week online Football Analytics course. In this course, you will gain real-time experience by talking weekly with Football Outsiders Aaron Schatz.
Agent Relationships
To be a good coach and fully understand your players, it is important to understand their process of joining the team and/or club. This begins with how your players are represented by agents. You need to understand the role and responsibilities of agents – including recruiting, negotiating contracts, marketing, endorsements, legalities, and regulations. SMWW offers this training in our 8-week online Athlete Management course. In this course, you will gain real-time experience by talking weekly with former sports agent Joel Corry.
Digital Video Tools
Successful coaches must be up to date with modern football tools and software – including XOS Digital video software. Currently, football revolves around video with the majority of NFL and college teams use XOS Digital as their primary tool for video and statistical analysis. To understand how this software enhances your team, you must know about XOS Thunder, scouting with digital video editing tools, the methods of evaluating players with XOS tech, how to share analytics and information, and how to be adept with reports of players via XOS tech. SMWW offers this training in our 8-week online Digital Video Editing With XOS course. In this course, you will gain real-time experience by talking weekly with Jacksonville Jaguars Mike Stoeber.
Player Development
The most important key to a coach’s success is the ability to develop your players. Winning at football requires much more than diagramming a play – it demands a clearly established culture, organizational philosophy, and a unified approach to teaching. To accomplish this, you must have a clear understanding of organizational culture, leadership style, managing players, running effective practices, dealing with the media, the “First 15” concept, and how to view the game through the eyes of your QB. SMWW offers this training in our 8-week online Football Player Development course. In this course, you will gain real-time experience by talking weekly with CFL 2009 Coach of the Year Marc Testman.
Scouting
It is essential all coaches know how to identify talent, why your players are scouted, how your players are recruited for your team. This includes knowledge of running the front office of professional teams, player evaluation, NFL War Room strategies, traditional vs. high tech scouting, and NFL Combine evaluations. SMWW offers this training in our 8-week online Football GM & Scouting course. In this course, you will gain real-time experience by talking weekly with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik.
Sports Leadership
To get far in the football coaching world, you have to prove to industry executives that you have the qualifications to be a leader of your team. You must demonstrate your understanding of how to lead effective organizations, globally market in the digital era, strategize for innovation and entrepreneurship, apply ethics, law, and communication in decision making, and how to do accounting for decision making. SMWW offers this education through Master’s and Doctorate Sports Leadership degrees. With an attractive degree, colleges and professional teams are more likely to hire you and provide a higher salary. Further, while earning your degree you will talk and establish powerful connections with football industry leaders.