Building an Effective Coach–Athlete Relationship: Perspectives from Great Female Coaches and Athletes

Whenever an athlete wins an Olympic or world championship medal, people want to know the secret behind the success. Inevitably, the athlete, or occasionally the coach, is called upon to explain that secret, but rarely do the two believe the same thing about what brought about that unique moment. As a Canadian team consultant in sport psychology, Penny Werthner has been uniquely placed to observe coaches and athletes in action at sport’s highest levels. She has used her knowledge and experience to elicit valuable information from three of the most successful female coach–female athlete relationships in Canadian sporting history and from a female coach, whose expertise has helped numerous athletes. The findings are remarkable for their simplicity, and they identify qualities that every coach would be advised to emulate—sound technical skills, a complete understanding of the athlete’s needs developed through listening to her and sharing information (in other words, effective two-way communication), and, finally, patience, caring, honesty, and respect. World-class performances are never achieved overnight or in a vacuum. In a world that increasingly expects the quick fix, these coaches and athletes understand that there are no short cuts to successful performance.— Sheila Robertson

The views expressed in the articles of the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching are those of the authors and do not reflect the policies of the Coaching Association of Canada.