Players Respect the Coach When They Feel He Will Bring Out Their Best: Mike Hesson

Former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson believes that a coach can only gain the respect of the players once they identify that he can be of some use to them and help them bring out their best.

Hesson, who is currently the Director of Cricket for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), said the process is more complicated than simply speaking about your own experiences as a player.

“Once the player identifies that you are of use to them as a coach, then you’ve got their respect and for some coaches that takes longer time than others,” Hesson said on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

“When you become useful to a player, they actually think that this guy is going to be helpful for me to get the best out of me as a player. It’s not about just telling them stories about what you used to do as a player, but it is about them genuinely thinking that you can help them become a player.

“That is pretty much what the role of a coach is. The coaches that are less experienced and come straight from a playing background, they will exhaust all their personal experiences in the first week of coaching.”

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who was also a panellist on the show, spoke about the importance of a coach delinking from their past as a player.

“Maybe players who have played at a very elite level may not understand what players of average ability are going through. One thing that we are taught during our coaching education is that you delink from your past. Basically you can’t coach the way you’ve played the game.”