Teaching and Coaching: What Educators Can Learn from the Practice Field

Successful teachers and successful coaches have much in common. Both roles demand the ability to motivate, attention to detail, strong communication skills, and the capacity to build meaningful relationships with young people and their families. These shared traits often lead to comparisons between the two professions.

However, to reduce teaching to "coaching in a classroom" can feel dismissive to those who understand the depth and complexity of what great teaching really requires. In fact, after more than 25 years combined coaching multiple sports, we have come to believe that successful teaching is significantly more difficult than successful coaching.

One of the biggest reasons? Motivation.

Athletes typically choose to be on a team. Participation is voluntary, and players usually arrive at practice with at least some degree of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. If they lose interest, they can simply stop playing and try something else. In contrast, most students do not get to choose their academic journey. Outside of electives or advanced classes, students are placed in required courses. Some arrive deeply engaged, but many others show up with low motivation, often because they are there by mandate, not choice.

That difference alone makes teaching far more demanding.

Still, while teaching and coaching are not the same, teachers can take cues from what great coaches do to move from good to great in their own practice. To explore this further, let’s consider a fictional comparison between two educators: Mr. Kramer, an average classroom teacher, and Coach Benes, a highly effective basketball coach. The contrast between their daily practices can highlight strategies worth adopting in the classroom.

1. Purposeful Planning

Coach Benes walks into every practice with a specific goal. She knows exactly what she wants the team to accomplish and has mapped out a deliberate path to get there. She doesn’t just demonstrate a skill, give a quick assignment, and hope players improve on their own. Practice is structured, and athletes are not expected to master skills without real-time feedback and coaching.

This level of planning and intentionality is just as critical in the classroom. While Mr. Kramer might introduce a topic, assign homework, and move on regardless of student understanding, a teacher who models the best coaching practices knows that learning can’t be left to chance. Instead of moving on because the calendar says it’s time, they stay with a skill or concept until students demonstrate readiness to move forward.

2. Timely, Specific Feedback

During practice, Coach Benes is constantly interacting with her players. She provides immediate, specific feedback: “This foot placement was great, but let’s adjust your follow-through.” She lets players know exactly what they’re doing well and what needs improvement.

In contrast, students in Mr. Kramer’s class often receive a number on an assignment and little else. A score like “6/10” gives no direction. Great teachers, like great coaches, know that feedback is most effective when it is personal, timely, and focused on growth. Just as no coach would deduct shooting points from a dribbling grade, teachers should aim to clearly separate skill areas and communicate what each student needs to improve.

3. Meeting Students Where They Are

Coach Benes tailors instruction to the individual needs of her players. She understands that some will pick up a skill quickly while others need more time. She doesn’t allow the group to leave a player behind because “it’s time to move on.”

This approach has a direct application in the classroom. Students don’t all learn at the same pace, and rigid deadlines can stifle progress. Great teachers use strategies like reteaching, spiraling skills, and differentiated instruction to ensure every student has the chance to grow, regardless of where they start.

4. Making Every Day Count

Perhaps the most striking difference between Mr. Kramer and Coach Benes is how they use time. Great coaches rarely waste a practice. Even when reviewing fundamentals or making adjustments, there is purpose behind every minute.

Teachers often face legitimate barriers to instruction such as absences, holidays, assemblies, and the pressure to grade and return work. But too often, entire days are lost to routines that may not actually drive learning. Reviewing homework questions or waiting days to give feedback on tests can result in valuable instructional time slipping away.

Imagine replacing traditional homework with formative assessments embedded into classroom activities. Consider giving real-time feedback during work time instead of saving it for a returned paper days later. The best coaches evaluate and adjust in the moment. The best teachers can do the same.

Teaching is not coaching. It's more complex, more nuanced, and more demanding in many ways. But great coaches model habits that elevate performance, goal setting, feedback, individualization, and a relentless focus on progress. These strategies translate powerfully into the classroom when applied with intention.

When teachers begin to see themselves not just as conveyors of content, but as developers of skill (just like great coaches) classroom learning becomes more targeted, more responsive, and ultimately, more impactful.