Athletic Coach

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Work Tasks

ATHLETIC COACHES organize, instruct, and teach amateur and professional athletes individual and team sports. Coaches train athletes for competition by holding practice sessions to improve skills. Coaches instruct athletes on form and technique to maximize player's potential. They teach athletic skills, strategies, rules of specific sports, and provide generalized fitness training programs. Coaches may call specific plays during competition. After games, athletic coaches evaluate individual and team performance and determine strengths and weaknesses of players and the team. Coaches scout other teams to obtain new players and observe other teams to learn their strengths and weaknesses. Athletic coaches also give press interviews.

Salary, Size & Growth

• $44,500 average per year ($21.50 per hour)
• A large occupation (184,300 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow rapidly (2.5% per year)

Entry Requirements

Education and training requirements for ATHLETIC COACHES vary greatly by the level and type of sport. High schools usually hire existing teachers willing to take on the job part-time. Public secondary school coaches must have a bachelor's degree and meet state requirements for licensure as a teacher. Degree programs specifically related to coaching include exercise and sports science, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition and fitness, physical education, and sports medicine. At the college level, coaching as a graduate assistant is the best way to begin a coaching career. A coaching education program through the sport-specific organization or a college or university is highly recommended.