lawson

1

Abstract

The Statement of Purpose briefly defines the author’s athletic coaching philosophy as well as details

the reasoning of why it is important to coach the complete athlete. The purpose, scope, and direction

of the portfolio, as well as the author’s background and portfolios purpose, is also described. The

Philosophy of Coaching Athletics chapter details the authors personal coaching and leadership

philosophies that guides them through their work as the coach of a team in their school’s athletic

program. The team and program mission and vision statements, and the core values that the author

strives to infuse in their teams and program that will distinguish their leadership is included. The

author describes their leadership style, which guides their coaching. The Research Methods and

Analysis chapter discusses a research paper that was completed by the author about proper hitting

mechanics. This research compares the effectiveness of two popular schools of hitting philosophies:

rotational and linear hitting, with the combined approach also being analyzed. The Ethics and

Sportsmanship chapter describes the role of Christian virtues and civic responsibilities that every

coach, athletic administrator, and leader in athletics owe to their stakeholders. The definition,

explanation, and examples of the main Christian virtues and civic responsibilities are included. The

legal Aspects and Considerations chapter discusses the legal aspects of sport and its importance for

an athletic coach and administrator. A risk management plan, as well as the legal duties of a coach

and athletic administrator, are further clarified. The Program Development chapter discusses the

behavioral expectations, communication, community and parent interaction, and the development of

the athlete within the program. The Theory and Analysis of Coaching Softball chapter discusses the

overview of the sport, expectations, procedures, and program policies. The Sports Medicine and

Performance chapter details the injury to rehabilitation research of one of the most common injuries

2

experienced in baseball and softball, Ulnar Collateral Ligament injuries of the elbow. The

Closing Statement concludes the portfolio and revisits the statement of purpose. The author’s

overall experience in the MSCE program, future uses of the portfolio, and growth of the

author are also discussed.

Keywords: Coaching philosophy, baseball, softball, UCL injuries