The Man behind Success

When the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship in 2008, the crowd went crazy. When Placido Domingo delivered one more splendid performance, the listeners encored the world famous tenor for another eight beautiful songs. When Yen Chi-Tan defeat ten black belts with stunning martial art skills in the movie “Ip Man,” the audiences were amazed. No one could reach these milestones alone because everyone learns the skills and receives lessons from good coaches: from the mastermind who builds up a basketball team, from the instructor who unlocks the talent of singing, and from the master who inspires the potential of body movement. Besides the expertise of the fields coached, a good coach must care for the trainees personally, pay respect to them, and obtain the passion of the profession.

A coach is not only a drill master, but also a thoughtful friend. On the court, the coach is strict; he will push you to challenge your limit, and will work you so hard until you are out of breath. However, a good coach cares for his team while he is off the court, as a teacher and a friend. My high school basketball coach always invited the team over to his house for barbeque after practices. In that way, he could personally know each one of the team more, paid attention to their needs, and even supported them mentally. He is still a friend of the team even though everyone goes separate ways after graduation.

Other than being a friend, a good coach also pays respect to his trainees. There are coaches who bawl at their trainees all the time, and violate the self-respect of the trainees by demanding absolute submission to them. In fact, a coach is not a slavedriver; obedience does not help trainees in perfecting their skills. Moreover, a coach would never earn respects from his trainees by bawling at them. An adequate coach pays respect to his trainees, leading and directing them on the way to a new professional horizon.

The last and the most important quality of a good coach is his passion for the profession. Without passion, the coach might resign from his trainees before the goal is reached. Without passion, every word of the coach is just another textbook example. Without passion, the coach’s affection of the profession would soon fade out. A basketball coach who lacks passion would not train a champion team. A mentor who dislikes singing would never instruct a world famous tenor. In addition, a master who averts from his teaching would never elevate a disciple so enthusiastic about the art of fighting.

In short, a good coach is not only a professional instructor, but also a teacher who cares, respects, and inspires his trainees. These coaches are behind every Placido Domingo, every Yen Chi-Dan, and every NBA champion. Few could achieve the pinnacle like these world famous people because there are fewer coaches who possess the qualities of being the men behind success than brilliant students.