Some may ask, "What exactly is a coach?" Well, the World Wide Web offers the following definition; "In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of an athletic team or of individual athletes.

Coaching entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game or contest itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such actions as needed. Most coaches are former participants in the sports in which they are involved, and those who are not have had extensive training in the sport in question."

Coaches not only have the responsibility of teaching the fundamentals of their chosen sport, but they are entrusted to guide the athletes as individuals, as well as offer an example of behavior for the team to follow. While different sports, as well as the different sports organizations that coaches work for, all have their own set of rules and regulations, there are a few fundamentals that all coaches are expected to follow.

For example, all coaches are expected to abide by the particular laws that govern their sport, and to make sure that the athletes do so as well. In sports, there also exist unwritten rules of sportsmanship and ethics that all coaches are expected to follow and enforce with their team. These ethical standards cover such things as fair play and the integrity of the team as well as the individual athletes.

Coaches must ensure that their players are safe and protected during games as well as during practices. They are expected to provide and maintain a drug free environment, act as a role model both on and off of the playing field, ensure respectful conduct among the players and so much more. Coaches are also expected to keep current on any new provisions that might come into being that relates to the sport they are coaching.

Since it takes so much to be a good, effective coach, there are now many institutes of higher learning that actually offer classes for coaches. Classes run the gamut from how to influence the players, how to motivate players, as well as how to build team spirit.

With the huge number of different sports, as well as the diversity of the players, many coaches find themselves in need of an education that will better equip them to handle a certain group of athletes. For example, with more and more women's sports teams being formed, this presents a problem for the male coach who has never had to coach anything except a team of males. Being a coach in sports is not an easy job, but it does have the potential to be a rewarding one.