Coaching has changed.
Being a great coach has always required knowledge of the sport, strong communication, leadership, and the ability to develop athletes. But today, coaches are being asked to manage far more than what happens during practice or competition.
As a Registered Clinical Counsellor, coach, and former high-level athlete, Lauren Mills of Momentum Health in Kelowna has experienced sport from multiple perspectives.
She has coached at the high school, university, and provincial levels and has worked with athletes ranging from middle school through university and Olympic-level competition.
One thing has become increasingly clear: the technical side of coaching is only one piece of the job. A successful season starts before the first practice, game, skate, or cleat hits the field.
The Modern Coach Has a Lot on Their Plate
Today's coaches may be responsible for much more than developing athletic skills.
They are often managing:
- Scheduling multiple athletes with competing commitments
- Booking facilities, transportation, hotels, and travel
- Communicating across email, text, team apps, and other platforms
- Establishing appropriate communication boundaries, particularly when working with minors
- Navigating parent expectations and concerns
- Managing team dynamics and social conflicts
- Supporting athletes through pressure, setbacks, injuries, and transitions
- Balancing school, club, provincial, university, and other sport commitments
- Communicating with administrators, other coaches, officials, and organizations
And that's before the actual coaching begins.
The demands placed on coaches have expanded, but the preparation and support available to coaches have not always kept pace.
Every Sport and Every Level Brings Different Challenges
Preparing for a school season is different from preparing for a club season.
A provincial team may bring increased travel, competition, selection pressure, and expectations.
University athletes may be balancing academics, independence, scholarships, relationships, and the demands of high-level competition. Younger athletes bring their own considerations around parents, development, communication, and social dynamics.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to coaching.
The more complex the environment becomes, the more important preparation becomes.
Preparation Isn't Just for Athletes
We spend countless hours teaching athletes how to prepare.
We talk about routines, visualization, goal setting, nutrition, recovery, managing nerves, handling adversity, and being mentally ready to compete. Coaches deserve that same level of preparation.
Pre-season planning can be an opportunity to step back and ask:
What could become a challenge this season, and how do we want to handle it before it happens?
This might mean establishing clear expectations around communication, parent involvement, team culture, conflict resolution, social media, boundaries, scheduling, and athlete support.
It can also mean identifying where a coach may need additional support before the pressure of the season begins.
Coaches Don't Have to Have All the Answers
Coaches are often expected to be the person with the answers.
But asking for professional support isn't a sign that a coach isn't capable.
In fact, it can be one of the most effective ways to become a better-prepared leader.
Working with a professional who understands sport, mental health, and the realities of coaching can provide a valuable opportunity to talk through difficult situations before they arise.
For coaches, this may include working through:
- Difficult parent conversations
- Team conflict and social dynamics
- Communication boundaries with young athletes
- Managing expectations within a team
- Supporting athletes experiencing anxiety or stress
- Recognizing when an athlete may need additional mental health support
- Managing the emotional demands of coaching
- Maintaining healthy boundaries and avoiding burnout
- Creating a stronger team culture Professional support isn't about telling a coach how to run their team.
It's about giving coaches another perspective, practical tools, and a space to prepare for the situations that can make coaching challenging.
Mental Performance Isn't Just for Athletes
Mental performance is often discussed in relation to athletes: confidence, focus, resilience, pressure, motivation, and performance anxiety.
But coaches have a mental game too.
Coaches manage their own emotions while helping athletes manage theirs. They make decisions under pressure, respond to conflict, communicate difficult information, and often carry responsibility for an entire team.
A coach who is prepared to manage those pressures is better positioned to create a healthy and productive environment for their athletes.
Start the Season on the Right Foot, Skate or Cleat
The best seasons don't happen by accident.
Athletes prepare. Teams prepare. Coaches need to prepare too.
Whether you're coaching middle school, high school, club, provincial, university, or elite athletes, taking time before the season to consider the mental, social, logistical, and interpersonal demands of your role can make a meaningful difference.
At Momentum Health in Kelowna, Lauren Mills brings her experience as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, athlete, teacher and coach to her work with athletes and coaches.
Her background includes coaching and competing at high levels of sport, giving her a unique understanding of the demands that exist both on and off the field.
Sometimes professional support isn't about fixing a problem. Sometimes it's about being prepared before the problem happens. Because coaching is about more than knowing the sport.
It's about being prepared for everything that comes with it.
Supporting Coaches and Athletes in Kelowna Lauren Mills, RCC, at Momentum Health provides counselling and mental performance support for athletes, coaches, youth, and adults.
Her work incorporates a holistic, strength-based approach and can include mental training strategies to support confidence, performance, resilience, and overall well-being.
If you're a coach preparing for a new season, facing challenges within your team, or simply looking for another professional perspective, support can be a valuable part of your preparation.
Start your season prepared, not just for the sport, but for everything that comes with it.
