If we were to ask a would-be coach where creativity features in their grand plan, they would likely point in the direction of the arts faculty. Creativity has no place in sports coaching, right?
A simple definition of creativity is the use of imagination and original ideas to create something. The ‘something’ created can be an idea, a new game or a tactical solution.
On the first day of training, students are filled with enthusiasm for their course of study. They are full of ideas about communication, passion, the ability to engage athletes and sport-specific technical skill…but it needn’t stop there.
Creative coaches have good imaginations, original ideas and are inventive in their approach to finding solutions. Original ideas are rarely original. They are often a composition of other ideas with a new problem in mind.
Encouraging creativity in the people you coach
Psychologist Edward de Bono defines creativity as ‘breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way’.