Like most relationships found in nature, the coach-player dynamic often follows one of two paths. They are either parasitic or symbiotic.  In a parasitic relationship, one feeds off the other.  If the coach is parasitic, they see athletes as a means to an end.  They are simply vehicles that can drive winning.  They are to be used while they have value and discarded when they no longer provide a return.  In this type of coach-player relationship, there is little room for concern with development.  Players are given the expectations and given a chance to live up to them.  Failure is often seen as a personal short coming and not a need for improvement.  The player is not successful because they lack some personal or moral fiber that is necessary to succeed.  Coaches devote most of their time to the players who perform well and often ignore those who do not.  When repetitions are handed out in practice, the good players get the lion's share while those who are struggling may not get any.  There is a lot of turn-over in personnel and little attention is paid to the atmosphere around the team.  The players who are happy are those who are rewarded and little thought is given to those who are not.  This kind of atmosphere can still produce a lot of traditional measures of success in the form of wins, and even championships, and thus can continue for a long time.  It is not uncommon in these circumstances for players who move on from parasitic type relationships with their coaches to struggle with what comes next in life.  They see little value attached to their work and begin to believe that control resides with the person in authority and not themselves.  They are used to being used and have seen no value in questioning that reality and so the tools that are necessary to function in the world, perseverance, diligence, work ethic can atrophy and rot.  The ultimate judgement of this type of relationship is not in the moment, but in the long term. 

It is not only the coach that can be parasitic, it is also possible for the player(s) to adopt this stance as well.  When the relationship is parasitic in this direction, the player often sees the coach in the Western myth archetype.  From this view, the team will be successful because of the prowess of the coach and it falls strictly on the coach to produce this success.  The player is exonerated from any culpability in outcomes.  Often player leadership is weak in these situations and the players siphon their energy from the coach.  The coach is expected to teach, lead, make all decisions and bear all burdens.  This model is usually far less sustainable than when the coach is parasitic, mainly because of the stress placed on the coach.  The burden is great and often the coach feels exhausted or burnt out.  For these reasons, coaches placed in this situation will either move on or make changes.  The simplest change is just to revolve the personnel.  The more difficult and meaningful change is to confront the parasitic nature of the relationship and, in confronting it, see if the athletes can be educated to conduct themselves in a better manner.  The athletes need to see the value and the limitations of coaching, no matter how good, and accept the necessity of contributing their 50 percent toward the success of the team.  Often times, when teams are young, the players will lean too heavily on their coach and create this kind of parasitic relationship.  This is not a flaw in the players, merely a lack of the necessary experience to be able to take control themselves.  This means that having parasitic players is almost a constant truth, unless your team is consistently stocked with veterans.  The process then is one of helping players to move through this early stage and on to a more positive one.  

The most positive type of relationship in coaching, like in nature, is a symbiotic one.  A relationship in which both the coach and the player benefit.  They work together to produce an atmosphere where success is possible and development of all involved is valued.  In a symbiotic relationship, the coach is concerned with the development of all their players.  Here, repetitions are available to all, time is spent with all players and everyone has a voice, regardless of how much or how little that athlete may contribute on the floor.  Concern is given, not just to how the athlete functions in a playing atmosphere, but how they function off the playing surface as well.  Athletes who are part of this type of system are well prepared for life away from sport and often have little trouble carrying over their success.  They have made the necessary connections to why things are done and what that means for whatever comes next.  They have leadership skills and are comfortable in high pressure situations, as no attempt has been made to shield them from these realities.  Because they have walked beside the coach and not in their shadow, they are ready to move beyond, which in many ways is the ultimate compliment to any coach.