Understanding Esports Coaching: Crafting Champions in the Digital Arena

Esports is a virtual colosseum allowing players to compete for prizes and fame. There are large swatches of pro players and pro teams that try to attain the seemingly impossible and hoist the trophy in their game.

In order to achieve it, they need proper preparation, strategizing, and mindset - and that's where a good gaming coach comes in. With a competent coach, your esports team can succeed in even the most competitive environments.

In today's piece, I will explore all the topics centered around coaching in the esports sphere.

What Does An Esports Coach Do?

This is a very open-ended question, as the everyday and long-term duties vary from team to federation to federation. However, we can break down some of the most common responsibilities of a competitive esports coach.

First of all, they are responsible for developing the strategic skills of a team. While the players are the do-ers, coaches are the ones who provide the insight into the 'how'. They play back the games and analyze all the reasons the team failed but also why they may have finished the game successfully. It's crucial to also be aware of all the good that's happened to ensure that players can continue doing it. To provide an example, an esports coach might watch back a 20-minute game and write down key points regarding the early plays, the mid-game, and the later stages. Maybe the team had poor coordination in key team fights or could have pushed their advantage better in the end game. It is all the coach's job to extract these elements and pass them on to the team.

On top of that, a pro coach teaches how to communicate. They need to help the team grow and recognize their shortcomings in soft skill areas. In team games, communication is absolutely vital. They need to show that poor verbal skills might be the difference between winning or losing, especially in stressful situations.

The coach is also there to be asked questions. They are the person to talk to when it comes to doubts. These doubts might relate to the character choice, item pick order, and many more. They are there to break down all the 'whys' so there is less to have to analyze whilst playing a game.

Overall, an esports coach's responsibilities may vary but they are there to strengthen team collaboration, increase effectiveness, and grow a versatile skill set.

What Are The Skills And Qualifications Of An Esports Coach?

Nowadays, there are rarely any formal requirements to become an esports coach. In most cases, you'll need to be able to showcase your passion, knowledge, and extensive experience to obtain such a position.

Moreover, there are multiple singular skills and competencies that are key to becoming a successful esports coach. Some of them may include the following:

• Leadership
• Knowledge Sharing
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Analytical mind
• Excellent verbal skills

You can jumpstart your coaching career by obtaining coach-adjacent qualifications such as a Master's in Psychology or Management.

How Much Does An Esports Coaching Make?

If you want to start a career in esports coaching, you need to be aware of how much one earns in this role.

Salaries vary and depending on your experience and the prestige of the team you're coaching the discrepancy can be huge.

Based on ZipRecruiter data from February 2024, the average salary you can expect is around $60,000 a year with the 25th percentile of earners getting $35, 000 and the top 75th percentile $73, 000.

If you are a top earner in the industry, you can expect as much as $110, 000, which amounts to around $2, 000 weekly.

At the start of your journey as an aspiring coach, you might coach individuals and rely heavily on hourly pay wherein you'd need to expect to earn around $20-$60.

What Are The Steps That Can Be Made To Get Into Esports Coaching?

Let's look at some action points if you do want to pursue this career. Below are some points that explain the career pathways.

• Select and Master a Gamesome text
  • In order to boast about being a training head coach of a competitive team, you need to delve into a specific game first. This requires tens, hundreds, if not thousands of hours spent both playing but also analyzing a game. You need a deep understanding of the game to command respect from the players you are to coach.
• Develop Strong Communication Skillssome text
  • You are the knowledge sharer of the team and so you're expected to have impeccable communication skills. You ought to be able to break down any situation, play, team fight into the simplest details, explain what happened and why, and present the key takeaways. While the hard game knowledge is essential, verbal communication skills can be a make or break for you.
• Pro to coachsome text
  • If you're a player yourself who already competes at the highest level, the switch to a coach is certainly going to be easier with your proven record. However, you still need to display your analytical skills. You can join some report desks at big tournaments to provide insight or even be a caster for some of them to share knowledge real time.
• Reach out to pro teamssome text
  • If you're already in the industry, you are surely aware of the pro teams that compete in that area. Reach out to them directly and offer your insight and help. If you know some players personally already, it's going to make it that much easier.
• Understand Team Dynamicssome text
  • You have to be able to understand that each team is a specific set of esport athletes that compete in competitive tournaments. You have to understand how they work, how they think, how they play, how they interact with each other. Only then will you be able to assist with their training.
• Job Huntsome text
  • With all the knowledge acquired, it's time to obtain some key practical experience. There are different career pathways that you can undertake, between being a freelance coach to making it a full-time gig. Try to get that first opportunity and network when you get into the industry.
  • One of the better ways to jumpstart your career is to join the Metafy community. You can start sharing your knowledge and showcasing your experience.

Challenges in Becoming an Esports Coach

It's not all roses though. There are some key obstacles that a role of an esports coach has to deal with. 

First, if you tutor your players online there might be some communication barriers and issues with time zones. It's much more difficult to sync up or to conduct training sessions.

On top of that, there can be cultural differences. It's important to immerse yourself in how players think and what habits they've got. Remember that you might need to coach people from all around the globe.

You have to also take care of your players' mental health. It's mentally taxing to compete at the highest level and some tournaments can take a toll on their health.

The term 'esports' expands with time and it frequently encompasses offline games as well. You might want to become a coach of a trading card game like Magic: the Gathering or Disney Lorcana, for example. It comes with its own set of challenges like setting up in-person meetings or obtaining physical products to use them while testing.

A good chunk of your time is going to be absorbed by obtaining new knowledge. Innovative strategies emerge, games get regular patches, and new items or heroes. You have to stay up to date at all times to ensure that your team is well-prepared and won't be caught off guard.

Conclusion

Becoming an esports coach is no easy feat but it comes with a plethora of challenges. It's an exciting journey to coach esports teams who aim to become the best athletes in their particular game. You are going to be the head of strategy, the training conductor, an analysis catalyst. If you can successfully lead collaboration within the team, you will teach the competitors to recognize crucial elements of competition.

If you want to unleash your potential as esports coach, join the Metafy community and gain your experience right now! You can post valuable content within very specific gaming communities to grow your credibility and show how deep your knowledge goes.