The Etymological Roots of Coaching
In the 16th century, a small village in northwest Hungary became known for an invention that changed the world. The village of Kocs (pronounced "coach") made its living from building carts and transporting goods between Vienna and Budapest.
Around this time, a carriage maker in Kocs devised a larger, more comfortable carriage than any known at the time. It was called a koczi szeter (translated "a wagon of Kocs") and was later shortened to kocsi.
Over the next century the kocsi became popular and was copied throughout Europe. The name became kutsche in German, coche in French, and coach in English. Originally the name of the English horse-drawn coach, coaches evolved into various forms of stagecoaches, motor coaches, and finally air coaches. Chances are you've even flown "coach" (or economy class) to take you where you want to go.
Today, our modern use of the word “coach” is actually a metaphor. “Coach” was applied first in academia, not athletics. In 19th century England, the term was used as a verb by students to describe tutors that were preparing them for exams. The slang reference for tutors became “coach” because tutors essentially carried students to their goal of passing their exams.
Athletic coaches were known as “coachers” until the late 1880s, when the name transformed to “coaches.” For many people today, the image of a coach equates more to an army drill sergeant than a comfortable carriage.
What kind of coach are you?
Do you carry those you coach to their desired destination, as was originally the intent of the word? Do you help them succeed, as the original "coachers" did in 19th century England? Do you more closely resemble a horse-drawn carriage or angry army drill sergeant?
Remember what a coach actually is. If you call yourself a coach, understand your role. Be mindful of your duty. Take them where they want to go.
Coach them.