What separates great esports coaches from those who just point out mistakes? How do you go from being an amateur coach to a professional who truly impacts players and teams? Let’s break it down.

The truth is, most esports “coaches” aren’t actually coaching. This problem affects not just amateur coaches, but also professionals—some are even called “paycheck-stealers” by their players because they take more than they bring. But why does this happen?

Right now, anyone can call themselves a coach. But just using the title doesn’t mean you’re doing the job right.

In this blog, we’ll first break down what esports coaching is not, and then dive into what real coaching looks like—along with practical steps you can take today to double your impact as a coach.

What People Think Coaching Is (But It’s Not)

Many believe that coaching is about helping players improve, refining strategies, and boosting performance. Sounds simple, right? But those are just job descriptions—not the craft of coaching.

Let’s start with what coaching is NOT:

1. Coaching Is Not Just Pointing Out Mistakes

Too many coaches think their job is to identify mistakes and tell players how to fix them.

• VOD reviews become nothing more than a checklist of errors: “You should’ve positioned better here.” “This was the wrong call.”
• Players don’t build confidence when all they hear is what they did wrong.
• They become dependent on the coach instead of learning to think for themselves.

What to do instead: Shift from a “fixing mistakes” mindset to guiding players to solutions. Ask questions that help them analyze and make their own adjustments.

2. Coaching Is Not Just Telling Players What to Do

Some coaches believe that their job is to dictate every move: “Pick this champion.” “Always rotate here.”

• This creates players who follow orders instead of thinking independently.
• When the coach isn’t there, the players struggle to adapt.

What to do instead: Instead of giving answers, help players develop problem-solving skills. Challenge them to justify their choices and think critically about the game.

3. Coaching Is Not Just Dumping Knowledge

Some coaches try to prove their expertise by overloading players with information.

• But knowing is not the same as understanding, and understanding is not the same as applying.
• A player can “know” wave management, but if they can’t apply it instinctively in-game, that knowledge is useless.

What to do instead: Focus on progressive learning:

• Teach in digestible chunks.
• Ask questions instead of lecturing.
• Make sure knowledge is applied in practice before moving on.

4. Coaching Is Not Just Hyping Players Up

Motivation is important, but hype alone is not coaching.

• Some coaches only rely on motivation: “LET’S GO, WE GOT THIS!”
• When the team starts losing, they have no real tools to help the players recover.

What to do instead: Build intrinsic motivation by:

• Setting clear goals and challenges.
• Teaching players how to self-motivate through mindset training.
• Creating a growth-focused environment.

5. Coaching Is Not Just Being a “Vibes” Coach

It’s good to have strong relationships with players, but if you’re just “one of the guys,” you lose authority.

• If you lack structure and clarity, teams fall apart when conflicts arise.
• Being too casual makes it hard to enforce discipline and maintain professional distance.

What to do instead:

• Set clear boundaries between being approachable and being a leader.
• Have structured systems for conflict resolution and decision-making.

The Choice: Stay an Amateur or Level Up?

If you recognize yourself in any of these points, that’s okay—you’re not alone. Even experienced coaches start here.

But now, you have a choice: stay where you are or level up and become the coach you say you want to be.

Are you looking to master esports coaching and grow your career? Then check out the Esports Coach Revolution Course, which is a unique chance to get where you want to be as an esports coach.

Want to learn together with other like-minded esports coaches? Click [here] to join the Next Level Esports Discord and just send a message in general chat or a DM and we will help you move you to your next level.

See you there, coach!