Coachability: The Skill That Separates Good Athletes From Great Ones
In sports, every athlete wants to stand out. They train harder, push themselves physically, and chase results. But if you ask coaches what makes an athlete truly great, you’ll hear one word over and over again:
Coachability.
Coachability is the willingness to listen, learn, and apply feedback. It’s not about being perfect, it's about being open to receiving AND applying feedback. Coaches don’t expect perfection; they expect effort, humility, and growth.
Great athletes aren’t the ones who always get it right. They’re the ones who stay hungry to get better. They’re the ones who know that advice can come from anywhere, especially from their coaches who see the whole game and how each player fits into the strategy.
What is the Big Deal About Coachability?
Coaches invest the most time into athletes who are willing to invest in themselves. If an athlete is unwilling to listen, unwilling to learn, unwilling to take ownership of their current ability and deflect opportunities for growth and change through making excuses.
A coachable athlete:
Accepts feedback without becoming defensive
Implements corrections quickly
Stays adaptable and curious
Seeks improvement instead of validation
Utilized visualization after the practice/game to get mental repetitions at the feedback they received
Coaches are responsible for the growth and success of the whole team. If they have to waste emotional energy convincing someone to listen, they have less time and energy for actual development.
The truth is simple:
Talented but uncoachable athletes hit ceilings and are limited on progression to their own knowledge.
Coachable athletes break through ceilings and continue progressing as they continue to get more feedback.
Coachability Is an Investment in Yourself
Being coachable isn’t about obedience, it’s about ownership. When you’re coachable, you show that you’re serious about maximizing your potential. By listening and applying feedback from coaches and other players you’re saying:
“I’m willing to learn.”
“I care about becoming great.”
“I’m here to grow, not just to be right.”
“I care about the success of the team.”
Every piece of feedback is a chance to build a skill, improve a weakness, or sharpen an edge that others ignore. Ultimately, each piece of feedback you receive for your own performance also benefits the team as a whole.
Coachability turns feedback into fuel for growth and progress.
Time for a Coachability Self-Assessment
Rate yourself honestly (✔️ or ❌):
Mindset
☐ I view feedback as an opportunity, not a threat
☐ I don’t make excuses when I’m corrected
☐ I ask questions to understand, not to argue
Behavior
☐ I apply feedback quickly
☐ I show up on time, prepared, and focused
☐ I stay locked in—even when I’m frustrated or tired
Team
☐ I encourage others instead of comparing myself to them
☐ I celebrate teammates’ success without jealousy
☐ I don’t take feedback personally—it’s about performance, not identity
Communication
☐ I maintain eye contact and listen without interrupting
☐ I repeat back instructions to confirm I understood
☐ I show gratitude for coaching and correction
If you marked mostly ✔️ you’re likely coachable and growing.
If you marked several ❌ great news: coachability is a skill you can build and knowing the areas of weakness can help you focus your development going forward.
Becoming Coachable
1. Listen fully, giving your total attention to your coach while receiving feedback
Don’t prepare your response while the coach is still talking. In fact, after receiving the feedback, take a breath and think about if you have any follow-on questions before ending the conversation.
Goal: Develop understanding, don’t defend.
2. Write down feedback
Growth requires retention. Athletes who document feedback accelerate faster. A simple drill I do with athletes is that after receiving feedback they take time to write it out step by step how the play should look. The second step is to use this step by step script as a visualization guide to help build neural connections and retension of the desired skill or play.
Goal: Develop retention and internalization of the feedback.
3. Ask better questions
Instead of “Why?” refine your question to be more specific allowing you to get enough information to figure out how to apply the feedback to your game.
“How can I improve this?”
”You said I was out of position, how could I have flowed through that play in a better position?”
”How can I better contribute to that play?"
”You said to work harder, but what is something specific I can work on during this next shift?”
Goal: Gain understanding from an external perspective.
4. Apply feedback immediately
Implementation shows commitment. Put the feedback to practice and adjust as necessary. It might feel out of place as you attempt to apply the feedback, but with practice and mental/physical repetition, it will become second nature.
Goal: Make the change, adjust as necessary.
5. Detach emotion from correction
Feedback feels personal only when ego is involved. When you view your ability in light of the overall team’s goal, making changes to increase your performance becomes more than just for yourself. It becomes an opportunity for team growth.
Goal: See the bigger picture, put ego aside.
Final Rant
Being coachable is not a talent, it’s a choice that leads to increased performance. It is an opportunity to go beyond your own skill and knowledge through learning from others. It is a major strength in the eyes of coaches, teammates, and parents.
One day, your athletic career will end. The skill of coachability will not. It will shape the way you learn, work, lead, and grow for the rest of your life. Your example to learn from others will build bridges where others build walls. The most successful athletes are not the ones with the most talent, they are the ones with the most humility and hunger.
So ask yourself:
Do I want to be defensive, or do I want to get better?
~Dr. Ty