How the Best Coaches Are Made

I was mentored for six years by Charlie Afflek. Unless you were involved in the professional athletics scene in Scotland, it’s unlikely you would have heard of Charlie. As an athlete, he was an average 800m runner competing on the pro circuit in the Scottish lowlands.

As a coach, however, he was anything but average.

Alongside his coaching partner Chick Young, Charlie became a dedicated student of sprinting. Together, they consistently produced top performers on the circuit, including Olympic 100m gold medallist Allan Wells.

That contrast left a lasting impression on me. Here was a coach operating at the highest level, despite having a modest athletic career.

And it wasn’t an isolated case.

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A Pattern Worth Paying Attention To

Closer to home in Edinburgh, Stuart Togher provided another example. As an athlete, he competed to a solid club standard in the hammer throw. As a coach, he guided athletes to Olympic silver and gold, including success at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Looking beyond athletics, the same pattern becomes even clearer.

In football, some of the most influential managers in history were not elite players:

• Alex Ferguson, who transformed Manchester United over two decades

• José Mourinho

• Arsène Wenger

• Arrigo Sacchi

Sacchi, who never played professional football and once worked as a shoe salesman, famously responded to those who questioned his credentials:

“I never realised that to become a jockey you have to have been a horse.”

It’s a remark that neatly captures a persistent misunderstanding in sport.

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The Misconception Around “The Name”

Across many sporting environments, there is a tendency to favour the well-known former athlete when appointing coaches. The logic is understandable — recognisable names attract attention, credibility, and often short-term engagement.

However, coaching is not a headline. It is a craft.

Experience suggests that high-level performance as an athlete does not automatically translate into effective coaching. The skill sets are different. Performing is one thing; understanding, teaching, and developing others is another entirely.

Some former elite athletes transition exceptionally well into coaching. Others find it more challenging, particularly when asked to explain or break down movements that once came naturally to them. In these cases, coaching can become a repetition of personal experience rather than a structured process of development.

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What Sets Great Coaches Apart

The most effective coaches tend to share a common pathway.

They served an apprenticeship.

Often, they were athletes who had to work hard to improve. They did not rely solely on natural ability, and as a result, they developed a deeper understanding of performance. They learned to analyse, to question, and to adapt.

This process builds essential coaching qualities:

• Patience

• Observation

• Problem-solving

• Communication

A great coach does not give up when an athlete struggles to grasp a skill. Instead, they find another way to explain it, another method to teach it, and another approach to unlock improvement.

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Understanding Over Experience

This is the fundamental distinction:

• Athletes experience performance

• Coaches must understand it

Many world-class coaches were not elite performers themselves. What set them apart was their ability to study, observe, and interpret performance at a deep level — and then communicate that understanding effectively to others.

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An Opportunity for Organisations

There is an opportunity here for sporting organisations.

Rather than prioritising profile alone, greater emphasis could be placed on:

• Coaching knowledge and expertise

• The ability to develop athletes over time

• Communication and teaching skills

• A track record of improvement

The most effective coach is not always the most recognisable name. It is the individual who can consistently make athletes better.

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Final Thought

Great coaches may not be able to make silk from a sow’s ear.

But they are highly skilled at improving the sow’s ear — often well beyond expectations.

And in sport, that ability to develop, refine, and elevate performance is what truly matters.