Why are people called coach?

Why are people called “coaches,” anyway? It’s always struck me as a really fitting term, you know? I mean, I read somewhere – maybe it was an article, maybe a random Wikipedia dive – that it actually comes from Oxford University slang! Can you imagine? These tutors, apparently, were called “coaches” because they practically carried their students through exams, like, in a literal horse-drawn carriage kind of way. Crazy, right?

But it makes so much sense, doesn’t it? A good coach isn’t just someone shouting instructions from the sidelines – though sometimes, let’s be honest, that feels appropriate, haha! No, it’s more than that. It’s about the whole journey, the bumpy road, the unexpected detours… Remember that time I was trying to learn Italian? I thought I’d just pick it up, you know? But my tutor, my “coach,” she didn’t just give me grammar rules. She helped me find Italian podcasts I actually liked, we’d watch movies together, and even went to an Italian restaurant once where I had to order in Italian! It was… terrifying, but also amazing! That’s what coaching is all about, I think. That transformative ride, that “transporting you to a better place” thing – cliché, but so true. It’s about getting where you need to go, yeah, but also enjoying the trip, even the messy bits.