[1] In 1983, he turned to coaching, becoming the manager of Widzew Łódź, Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznań, among others.

[3] Smuda was born in Lubomia, Wodzisław County, Poland, as a son of Gerard, a railway worker, and Marta.

[citation needed] Smuda began his coaching career successfully in the lower leagues in Germany.

[citation needed] In May 1995, Smuda was appointed the manager of Widzew Łódź and finished in second place behind Legia Warsaw in the 1994–95 season.

Smuda managed the team to eliminate the Danish champions, Brøndby IF and advanced to the group stage.

The next season was not as promising as Widzew's management sold some of their key players and were eliminated in the qualifying phases of the Champions League.

Smuda won the Polish League the following season, however, Wisła was ejected from European tournaments due to a fan throwing a knife at Dino Baggio during a UEFA Cup match against Parma.

[citation needed] After leaving Wisła in September 1999, Smuda was hired as manager of Legia Warsaw, replacing Dariusz Kubicki.

[citation needed] Subsequently, Smuda managed Widzew Łódź, Piotrcovia Piotrków Trybunalski as well as the Cypriot team Omonia.

[citation needed] In May 2006, Smuda was hired as the manager of Lech Poznań following the club's merger with Amica Wronki.

[2][8] After a disappointing UEFA Euro 2012 tournament in which Poland finished last in their group behind Russia, Greece and Czech Republic, Smuda left his post as manager directly after the final defeat of the campaign.