You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup

Coach DevelopmentCoachingCoach Wellbeing
Written By David Nolan

When someone asks a simple question…

“How are you?”

As we all know, the answer most people probably give is…

“Yeah, all good. You?”

And the conversation normally moves on. But it got me thinking, every time you’re asked that question, are you actually good, or are you so focused on looking after everyone else that you’ve stopped paying attention to how you’re doing?

As coaches, we’re constantly thinking about other people. We’re planning sessions, reviewing performances, answering messages, and trying to get the best out of our athletes. We spend so much time investing in others that it’s easy to forget we’re part of the environment too.

The reality is, the coach who walks onto the pitch feeling energised and present is very different from the coach who is mentally exhausted before the warm-up has even kicked off. Your patience changes. Your communication changes. Even the little things, like noticing an athlete who’s unusually quiet, become harder when your own tank is running low.

Somewhere along the way, we’ve convinced ourselves that being busy is a badge of honour as an S&C coach. Working 12+ hour days, six or seven days a week. Saying yes to everything somehow makes us more committed. But if an athlete came to you feeling constantly exhausted, struggling to switch off, and running on empty every week, would your advice be to keep pushing because it’s a badge of honour?

Probably not.

“The reality is, the coach who walks onto the pitch feeling energised and present is very different from the coach who is mentally exhausted before the warm-up has even kicked off. ”

The best coaches have always looked after their own development, but they’ve also looked after themselves. They know when to step away, when to recharge, and when to admit they’re not at their best. Not because they’re less committed, but because they understand that showing up as the best version of yourself is part of the job.

Are you giving your athletes the best version of yourself, or just what’s left at the end of the week?

Food for thought

Michael

David Nolan
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