Coaches and Scouts: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more

Coaches teach amateur and professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Scouts look for new players, evaluating their skills and likelihood for success at the college, amateur, or professional level. Many coaches also are involved in scouting potential athletes.

What do Coaches and Scouts do?

Coaches typically do the following:

• Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes and opposing teams
• Plan strategies and choose team members for each game
• Provide direction, encouragement, and motivation to prepare athletes for games
• Call plays and make decisions about strategy and player substitutions during games
• Plan and direct physical conditioning programs that enable athletes to achieve maximum performance
• Instruct athletes on proper techniques, game strategies, sportsmanship, and the rules of the sport
• Keep records of athletes and opponents performances
• Identify and recruit potential athletes
• Arrange for and offer incentives to prospective players

Coaches teach professional and amateur athletes the fundamental skills of individual and team sports. They hold training and practice sessions to improve the athletes form, technique, skills, and stamina. Along with refining athletes individual skills, coaches are responsible for instilling in their players the importance of good sportsmanship, a competitive spirit, and teamwork.

Many coaches evaluate their opponents to determine game strategies and to establish particular plays to practice. During competition, coaches call specific plays intended to surprise or overpower the opponent, and they may substitute players to achieve optimum team chemistry and success.

Many high school coaches are primarily academic teachers or other school administrators who supplement their income by coaching part time.

Coaches may assign specific drills and correct athletes techniques. They may also spend their time working one-on-one with athletes, designing customized training programs for each individual. Coaches may specialize in teaching the skills of an individual sport, such as tennis, golf, or ice skating. Some coaches, such as baseball coaches, may teach individual athletes involved in team sports.

Scouts typically do the following:

• Read newspapers and other news sources to find athletes to consider
• Attend games, view videotapes of the athletes performances, and study statistics about the athletes to determine their talent and potential
• Talk to the athlete and the coaches to see if the athlete has what it takes to succeed
• Report to the coach, manager, or owner of the team for which he or she is scouting
• Arrange for and offer incentives to prospective players

Scouts evaluate the skills of both amateur and professional athletes. Scouts seek out top athletic candidates for colleges or professional teams and evaluate their likelihood of success at a higher competitive level.