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Chapter II

Philosophy of Coaching Athletics

A well-developed coaching philosophy is key to being a successful coach. A coach that

has a defined philosophy that contains a strong mission and vision statement, core values and

objectives, as well as a defined leadership style, can communicate more effectively and have

more of an impact on their respective players. Leadership and coaching is dependent upon strong

and efficient communication, therefore a clear and concise coaching philosophy is critical.

Coaching philosophy and life philosophy usually go hand-in-hand in an effective coach, so

enacting a philosophy that can be lived out on a day-to-day basis is as important as strong

communication. Taking all of these tools and putting them together helps create a strong

coaching style that can have lasting effects on players.

A philosophy of coaching is not just the way a coach thinks, it is the combination of how

a coach thinks, communicates, and interacts with his or her players. A philosophy is something

that many people may have but do not always think about. Putting a philosophy into action

requires a commitment to certain principles and values that a coach is willing to hold both his or

her players too, as well as themselves. A well-developed philosophy removes uncertainty about

training rules, style of play, discipline, and code of conduct (Martens, 2004). It sets the

foundation for how the team is going to work on a daily process and what the players should

value throughout the season. The main characteristics that make up a philosophy are a clear

mission statement, a vision statement, core values, and a specific leadership style.

This was the Abstract of the original

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Mission Statement

The purpose of this program is to mold every athlete into a better man for society in order

for them to make an impact on those they come in contact with on and off the field. This

program's utmost concern is creating men of character who go on to be game-changers within

society. This team is dedicated to being invested in the process and takes advantage of every

moment and opportunity given to them. This means being dedicated to getting 1% better each

day the team is together and ensures that no moments are wasted. Winning will be a by-product

of doing the little things right on a daily basis and being as prepared as possible.

Vision Statement

This team will be one of men who are hungry to compete both on the field and in life.

They dedicate themselves to being the best they can in every given moment, while striving to

make the people around them better. This program strives for excellence on the field, in the

classroom, and in society. There is a standard that has been set by this program, and it is

expected to be upheld every year. This standard has seen athletes be awarded academic awards,

personal athletic awards, as well as team championships. Although never the goal, the standard

within the program is to win at everything it does. This means looking at each day as another

opportunity to be great instead of just another day. Responsibility and accountability will derive

from the coaching staff, however, it is the players who are asked to hold each other accountable

on a daily basis in order to succeed. As Vince Lambordi said (as cited in Martens, 2004, p. 42),

“The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure.” This program is built

on these characteristics and will continue to strive to be the best it can be in order to endure and

outlast the competition.

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Core Values

Core values are important to identify and maintain as they are the building blocks of any

program. Set core values help ground any program and give both the players and coaching staff

an anchor that helps drive team conduct, competition, and decision making. One of the most

important decisions a coach can make is concerned with selecting the core values of their team,

as they will guide what one does in difficult situations (Martens, 2004). Therefore, core values

are undoubtedly important and should be selected carefully.

Energy

All members of the team, coaching staff and players, will come to practice, games, and

weight sessions with positive energy. Energy is contagious and this team will spread positive

energy every time they are together. This creates an exciting environment and fosters good

competition. No matter the situation, this team will always strive to out energize their opponents.

Trust

Trust is the foundation of all relationships on this team. Players must trust that the

coaches are making decisions that are best for the team, and coaches must trust that players are

doing everything they can to help the team win. A team that can trust each other is a team that

can compete together. Trust is earned and renewed both on the field and off of it, therefore all

actions and decisions should be made to honor and uphold trust between coaches and players.

Selflessness

No person on this team, including the coaching staff, is bigger than the whole. Everything

done on a daily basis is to benefit the team and not the individual. Although the game can be

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individual at times, each individual will work for the whole and the success and failures will fall

on the team as a group, not a single individual. This will be a program that plays for each other

and not for individual spotlight.

Leadership Style

Coaches are given a large amount of trust to teach and guide young men and women in

athletics. The leadership style of a coach greatly determines the effectiveness that they will have

amongst their players. A cooperative style of coaching allows the coach to form relationships

between their players, while at the same time being able to lead them in an effective manner. The

cooperative coaching style is the most successful because responsibilities are shared between

coaches and players. This differs from a command style of coaching, which was my style the

first couple of years, as the coach does not take on the role of a dictator in which commands are

given and the expectation is that the commands or orders are followed. Instead, decisions are

made with the athletes’ input and cooperation which creates more of an investment from the

players’ standpoint as they are able to see that their opinion and knowledge matters. Although

this is effective, this is also one of the difficult situations within the cooperative coaching style as

a balance must occur between the weight of players’ input and the coaches’ decision making

(Martens, 2004).

A cooperative coaching style allows the coach to set the foundation and structure for the

team through strict rules to abide by, but also allows the players to be themselves and act within

this structure. As Ehrmann and Jordan (2011) said, “Players will do what they are told by a

coach but they will only truly follow someone whom they believe in and who believes in them”

(p. 59). Allowing players to make decisions increases their belief in themselves as well as their

belief in their coaches. This fosters the athlete first, winning second philosophy which ultimately

seeks to try and develop the athlete at a personal level while winning becomes a by-product of

the investment between the coaches and players (Martens, 2004). Therefore, a cooperative

coaching style is the style that I have adopted over the years and have found to be most effective.

Conclusion

Selecting a strong coaching philosophy sets the foundation for how a program is going to

be run and the future success of that program. Cooperative coaching, along with strong core

values, helps give a team an identity to live up too. All teams will create their own identities, but

a successful coach ensures that successful characteristics are always present within their identity.

In order for a program to be successful, there needs to be mutual investment from both the

players and coaches, and a cooperative coaching style helps develop this type of winning culture.

References

Ehrmann, J., & Jordan, G. (2011). InSideOut coaching: How sports can transform lives. Simon

& Schuster.

Martens, R. (2004). Successful coaching. Human Kinetics.

For the portfolio, these would be

placed in the Appendix instead of

at the end of the chapter