What Does a League of Legends Coach Do?

A winning League of Legends team is thrust into the spotlight upon winning its championship match. But behind the glamour of winning lies an untold amount of work and dedication, thousands of hours of key preparation, all for the purpose of getting to this single moment.

That’s what a pro LoL coach does.

Different from the spotlight that coaches receive in traditional sports, esports coaches stay on the sidelines, often unnoticed. But their work often speaks for them, shown by how well their teams perform.

Let’s take a look at the various responsibilities that LoL coaches take on in more detail.

Drafting the Blueprint to Esports Success

An esports coach needs to take every detail into account; whatever advantage the team can gain, it’s the coach’s job to secure that advantage, no matter how small.

In LoL, one of the biggest decisions a coach has to make is in the pick/ban phase. It’s the coach’s job not just to know their players’ capabilities, but the opponents’ as well, and how to exploit that information.

A rock-solid K’Sante would be banned, but if it’s possible to trap them with a counter, it’s the coach’s call to make, and the team’s victory would hinge on that call. They need to come up with just the right composition that allows their players to shine while also ensuring the opponent has as much disadvantage to work with as possible.

But there’s also the matter of game patches and the constantly changing game meta, which coaches are expected to know how to deal with and take advantage of. Besides meta units, it’s their job to know sleeper metas that could come to the forefront at any time due to a game update. It’s all about being the first to bring the advantage to their side, and a great coach knows how to read and react to the changing tides.

Developing and Enhancing Talent

The next responsibility of a LoL coach is to polish their players’ skills and ensure that they are able to shine. This involves training players to utilize their skills, whether players themselves were aware of the skill or not, as well as giving players the proper environment to be the best version of themselves.

Every nuance must be carefully addressed, with strengths further enhanced and weaknesses like poor map awareness removed if possible. With players being individual people, it’s also important for coaches to tailor fit development programs to fit each individual.

Through VOD reviews, they’ll analyze jungle pathing, trading patterns, and teamfight positioning, all to ensure that a player’s strengths work for the team.

The relationship between player and coach has also been subject to studies, and it’s been shown that coached teams generally perform 20% better than uncoached ones. 

Keeping the Team Running and Managing Fires

Esports players are often young, talented, and extremely competitive. Translated, this means there’s a lot of ego that needs to be managed in a pro team, whether it’s LoL or any other game. It’s also the coach’s job to ensure that this group of people works as a unified squad, and that takes a lot of work.

Managing human emotions is always a complex thing, and this is every part of a coach’s responsibility, from managing disputes to ensuring effective communication, on and off the playing arena.

There’s also the need to ensure that players have a positive mindset going into matches, as well as ensuring overall physical and mental well-being. Improving mental fortitude, managing stage fright or match anxiety, player burnout, you name it, and it’s all up to the coach.

The Coaching Staff

There are a lot of responsibilities for a LoL coach, perhaps too many. Fortunately, a coach is never alone in having to pick up after a team. They’re usually part of a team themselves, a whole coaching staff to tend to the players and ensure that they’re primed for battle.

Here we see that each coach has their share of the responsibilities. Every coach would have to take care of most other responsibilities every now and then, but having someone specialized should make it much more manageable for everyone else involved.

You Can Learn from Pros of the Game

Meeting a pro player and getting to learn key insights and maybe even a few skills or techniques can do wonders for an aspiring esports player.

But what if you could tap into the guidance of a professional coach, and you could have all the benefits we went over in this article, all for your personal development? If you’re an aspiring esports player, that would be the dream.

At WeCoach, we’ll bring your coaching needs to reality, bringing you from simply playing the game to living it. Our professional coaches know the pro game and what it takes to win and be successful. Under their guidance, you’ll refine your game to a level you never thought possible.

If you’re ready to take your game to the next level, then we’re ready to guide you there. Explore the roster of expert coaches at WeCoach.gg and start your path to esports glory.