Coach Mock Interview
Master 30 Coach interview questions covering leadership philosophy, athlete development, and program building.
Question 10 of 30
What is the most difficult part of being a coach?
Example Answer
How to Answer
Example Answer 2
Community Answers
"As a new coach, one of the hardest parts for me has been tryouts. When players are so young it is hard to make those decisions on who to cut from the team and who not to. I have been continuing to reach out to my coaching mentors to help learn to make the best possible decision. I think this will continue to be difficult, but I understand the importance of my decision and don't take it lightly."
This question isn't necessarily about any individual team and their challenges, but about a challenge you as a coach face. Coaches are presented with many different challenges whether internal or external. With this question you can keep the answer very surface level by talking about difficulties with parents or teachers; another option is to take the answer deeper into how you feel when players move on. Players get older and eventually graduate, it can be bittersweet when a player moves on and it's okay to express that challenge.
Another way to approach this question is to talk about direct difficulties as a coach related to playing time, making cuts, or even making calls about benching a player. Either way you approach this question make sure you also bring up how you manage that challenge.
"I think the hardest part for me as a coach is watching a player graduate that I have worked with since freshman year. It is amazing to help them grow as an athlete and an individual, it is also bittersweet to watch them move on to other things. Thankfully, many times I have had players come back to visit just to tell me how things are going."
Interview Coach
Jaymie
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Anonymous Answer
Coaching can be difficult when players lack maturity, are un-coachable, and are not willing to learn new things.
Rachelle's Feedback
This type of attitude would be a challenge to deal with, for sure! When you encounter a situation like this, how do you react or solve the situation? This question is another excellent opportunity to 'show and tell' in your response by offering a story-based example using the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Anonymous Answer
The most difficult part of being a coach is the week of tryouts. It is really hard to tell players that they are not good enough for the team. There are a lot of players that deserve a spot on the team but unfortunately, there is a limited amount of space on the rosters.
Rachelle's Feedback
This situation would be challenging, indeed. How do you handle this difficult part of being a coach? That info would be a helpful addition to your reply. I've provided an example for you below.
"The most difficult part of being a coach is the week of tryouts. It is really hard to tell players that they did not make the team. There are a lot of players that deserve a spot on the team. Unfortunately, there is a limited amount of space on the rosters. When I let a student know that they did not make it past tryouts, my approach is...(discuss your approach/how you have the difficult conversation)."
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