Make an effort to start seeing coach (6)
I believe the answer is:
strain
'make an effort' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'start seeing coach' is the wordplay.
'start' says to take the initial letters.
'coach' becomes 'train' ('train' can be a synonym of 'coach').
The first letter of 'seeing' is 's'.
's'+'train'='STRAIN'
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for strain that I've seen before include "Pull (a muscle?)" , "Tension - stock" , "Mental tension, stress" , "Twist" , "Drain off" .)