Coaching Sports as an Engineer: Enjoy the Process!
I agreed to coach my kids' basketball teams. It's been a lot of fun, and something you should try if you have the opportunity.
My older kids are now 11 and 8. I haven’t pushed sports on them too much, but they’ve played soccer, baseball, and a bit of basketball. I’ve always avoided coaching as: #1 - I like to work out when they’re otherwise occupied, and #2 - I know very little about baseball or soccer.
This summer, however, they both joined organized basketball teams and asked me to coach. While #1 might still apply, I did play for my (very small) high school, then recreationally in college and beyond. So the #2 excuse was out the window. I agreed to be an assistant coach on both their teams. I have some thoughts.1
So what is coaching kids like?
Short answer: it’s a lot of fun. Imagine being that parent on the sideline that’s always yelling at his kid, other kids, and the referees. That guy (and usually it’s a guy) is being obnoxious and needs to calm down. But some part of you wants to be that guy, and as a coach you’re actually supposed to be that guy.
Think the ref made a bad call? Let him have it! Did Jimmy miss the rebound because he was out of position or didn’t get his hands up? Let him know! Loudly, because how else will he hear you? CAVEAT: any feedback should be offered with respect and sans personal insults both to kids and referees. At the end of the day everyone is (should be) there to learn and have fun (and/or make a little money as a ref).
It’s also incredibly rewarding. Kids that are newer to the sport can make gains in ability in a very short time in part because of your guidance. You set the tone for the team and how they play. In my role as an assistant coach, I didn’t dictate plays or overall strategy, but largely focused on individual tactics to make sure kids were in the right position for rebounds, defense, and shooting.
So while I’m still grateful to my kids’ coaches for the time they put in, I now realize that it’s not actually a sacrifice for most of them. I suspect they’re having a great time. So does someone “give up” X hours/week to coach? It depends on the next best alternative. It it’s watching TV, probably not. If there’s something more productive and/or enjoyable on the table, then possibly.
What do I focus on as a coach-engineer?
There are a few things I focus on while coaching that I think are analogous to my former and current work as an engineer. My thoughts:
High percentage strategy (individual shots don’t matter): At this level the kids will take (and miss) a lot of shots. I try to get the kids taking the right shots, getting rebound for a second shot, and doing other things that may or may not pay off in an individual situation, but that over the long term will win games and seasons.
Sure that extra rebound by the kid that shoots 20% might not produce points, but 10 of these actions over a season can be the difference between wins and losses.
-At the same time, I suspect top-class competitors like Michael Jordan, Caitlin Clark, or LeBron James would disagree somewhat. That buzzer beater in game XYZ does mean a lot, and appears to be the focus of great players. However, the overall team strategy got their teams and them into a position to hit the game-winning shot.
As an engineer (in manufacturing automation) you have to deal with emergencies in a hands-on manner (game-winners, so to speak). But the bigger issue is how you deal with systemic issues, making sure that preventive maintenance get done, spares are on-hand, and other unseen details are sorted out that help things run well most of the time and eke out a few extra percentage points of production. Sort of like that extra rebound, or perhaps even points, that Jimmy gets because of your advice.
Luc Longley: It’s easy to forget just how good the average role player is at the top level Develop weaker players: On the 11-year-old’s team, there were a few excellent players, other players that were competent, and some that were new to the sport. The exciting thing as a coach is that the n00bs can literally become twice as good as they were before in a season, eventually making a small, but real, contribution to the team. That aspect was really fun.
This was perhaps slightly less evident an the 8-year-old’s team, but the general concept would apply.
This is similar, but not quite the same as Pareto analysis where 80 percent of your results (or problems) come from 20 percent of your inputs. One can reverse this and see that your best 2/10 players will likely make most of your points. Unlike the n00bs, your coaching isn’t going to make them much better individually in a month or two, though you might be able to help them play better with a team.
Other Interesting Aspects of Coaching
These electronic “whiteboards” are pretty cool
As someone who works from home by himself the vast majority of the time, it’s cool to be in a group striving for the same goal. There’s a real sense of camaraderie, even if you’ll ultimately all go your separate ways after a month or two.
Parents generally appreciate you. So that’s neat.
At the end of the day, both my kids teams did quite well, winning more games than they lost. Unfortunately, the older kids lost in the first round of the playoffs per a combination of them not playing well, and the other team playing well plus hitting some rather unlikely shots. While I doubt it would have changed the game’s ultimate outcome, my son had to sit out that game per a jammed finger. The younger kids made a good effort at the end, though they didn’t ultimately win the tournament either.2
Get out there!
Maybe you weren’t a high school athlete. Maybe you didn’t play your kids’ particular sport. If they’re young enough, it doesn’t really matter. With a bit of research you can be competent enough to coach a kids’ team. It will likely be a lot of fun for you, and certainly meaningful to them. -JC
Sharing is caring! Rhymes, but is it correct? Not if it’s mold. Unless it’s a mold for something cool, like tiny toy soldiers.
Thanks for reading! I hope you will follow along as I post weekly-ish about engineering, technology, making, and projects. Fair warning: I am a native Florida man, and may get a little off-topic in the footnotes.
Note that any Amazon links are affiliate
Addendum/Footnotes:
Summer, as in summer 2025. They’re slightly older now. Sometimes I write posts and let them sit for a while. I’m now assistant coaching my son’s winter basketball team, while my daughter has gotten more into soccer. While I played basketball (and was pretty good in the context of my rather small high school), I almost always played center — a critical position, but far from the on-court strategic mastermind.
Some months later, my daughter’s soccer team won third place (out of four teams) in their league’s end-of-season soccer tournament. The scene looked like👇 Being a kid isn’t always fun… but sometimes it is.
