Critical Analysis of a Coach

COACHING PHILOSOPHY: BOB BEATTY 1

COACHING PHILOSOPHY: BOB BEATTY 10

Coaching Philosophy:

Coach Bob Beatty

Randy Ozbirn

American Military University

SPMT606 I001 Techniques in Coaching Strategy

Dr. Barry Shollenberger

March 28, 2021

Coaching Philosophy

Introduction

Sports coaches are tasked with impacting relevant skills, techniques, and tactics. Coaches also tasked with monitoring and developing athletes as the coach is always trying to bring out the very best in every athlete. Coaches are teachers, mentors, leaders, and at other times have to fill the slot as a role model for some athletes. A sports coach’s role has not changed very much over the years, as the coach is still tasked with assisting athletes in developing their full potential. Sports coaches are essential for sports teams as well as individual athletes. A coach is also a leader who is tasked with motivating the team to follow the team vision while trying to assist the team achieve its goals. In the sport of football, coaches possess unique skills that can impact the athletes. Coaches are usually tasked with ensuring athletes gain the various required technical abilities that are essential for the sport. Coaches are responsible for ensuring athletes play smart, quality football and therefore must monitor and assess the skills of the athletes. Coaches also have different styles and techniques that are used when impacting the skills of athletes. Coaches will use their philosophy, styles, and principles to ensure the team is successful.

All coaches have a philosophy that acts as a guide to how a coach approaches coaching. A coaching philosophy is a tool which guides a coach through the process of coaching. Every coach should have a coaching philosophy which gives a coach the objectives necessary to be successful and how these objectives should be achieved. Bob Beatty, a retired high school football coach, was very successful winning fifteen state championships and one national championship. This paper looks at Coach Bob Beatty's career, including his coaching philosophy, coaching style, and principles of coaching with a view to understanding what made him successful.

Biographical information of Bob Beatty

Coach Bob Beatty is a retired high school football coach whose career spanned twenty-one years and saw the winning fifteen state titles. Coach Beatty, who is regarded as a legend, is famous for turning Trinity High School Shamrocks in Louisville, Kentucky into a powerhouse (Bozich, 2021). Coach Bob Beatty was born in 1955 in Butler, Missouri and was raised in the Bates County. Coach Beatty attended college at Pittsburg State University from 1973-1976, where he played football. In 1976, Coach Beatty transferred to Missouri Southern State College, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Education. Playing football built Coach Beatty’s solid foundation as a coach and prepared him for his future role as a head coach. Coach Beatty’s twenty-one year career began at Clinton high School in Clinton, Missouri as an assistant coach and end at Trinity High School, a place where Coach Beatty made his name.

Coaching resume and Career Highlights

Coach Bob Beatty's first stint as a coach was in 1978, when he began his career as an assistant coach at Clinton High School. After two years at Clinton High School, Coach Beatty moved to William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri as an offensive coordinator. During his time at William Jewell College, he reached the NAIA Division II Football National Championship quarter-finals four times. Beatty was unsuccessful in winning a championship as the best the team was able to achieve semifinal slot. Beatty had an excellent stint as offensive coordinator, and the 1982 NAIA Division II Football National Championship loss against Linfield College was blamed on defensive mistakes. He left as offensive coordinator in 1986, after six years, and moved to Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri.

At Blue Springs High School, Coach Beatty took the same role of offensive coordinator that he had at William Jewell College. He remained as offensive coordinator until 1997. Some of the highlights at Blue Spring High School include; winning the 1992 MSHSAA State Football Championship game and finishing runner-up in the 1995 MSHSAA State Football Championship game. Coach Beatty became the head coach of Blue Springs High School in 1997 and served in that role until 2000. While at Blue Springs High School, Coach Beatty was also employed as a teacher.

Coach Beatty took the head coaching position at Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky in 2000 after leaving Blue Springs High School. Coach Bob Beatty's career success was while coaching at Trinity High School, where he coached Trinity to a huge win over Male High School, Trinity's biggest rival, in his first season. Coach Beatty was able to state championships in consecutive years, 2002 and 2003. The championships of 2002 and 2003 were followed by successful championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012 (Trinity, n.d.). In 2013, Trinity finished the season 6-6 and the 2013 state championship was won by someone else. Coach Beatty responded to these six losses by restructuring his team and appointing Coach Jay Cobb as the new defensive coordinator. These changes saw Trinity back to its old winning ways as the team was once again able to win the state championship in 2014, 2016 and 2017. At Trinity High School, Coach Beatty was also employed to teach freshmen at the school in a combined course of physical education and health.

Coach Beatty also took on other coaching assignments while at Trinity high School. In 2012, Coach Beatty was selected as one of the assistant coaches for the West squad at the United States Army All-American Bowl, assuming duties on offensive side of the ball. The West team won the game by a score of 24-12. In 2013, Coach Beatty took on the role of head coach for the East squad, winning by a score of 15-8. Some of the notable awards received by Coach Beatty include; the USA Today 2011 Coach of the Year, 2012 Russell Athletic Coach of the Year, 2013 Athlon Sports tenth-most influential high school coach awarded by Athlon Sports, and the key to the city of Louisville, Kentucky on January 10, 2017.

Coaching Philosophy

The definition of a coaching philosophy is simply a set of values and beliefs that will govern the coach and determine what will occur in the coaching process. Carless & Douglas (2011) emphasized coaches use a coaching philosophy as a summary of beliefs and values. This is why all coaches have their own rules, beliefs, and values that guide a coach during the decision-making process. The coaching process can be complex at times, and that's why a coaching philosophy will offer guidance for a coach. These rules, beliefs, values, and principles are the components of a good solid coaching philosophy (Lyle & Cushion, 2010).

Coach Bob Beatty's successful career as a football coach was built on a good solid coaching philosophy. In a statement in 2016, Coach Beatty stated the values that were used in creating a winning team. According to Najjar (2017), Coach Beatty said that “doing the right thing; do everything to the best of your ability and to care about one another. When you care about one another, you build trust." These three principles highlight the coaching philosophy that has, over the years, guided Coach Beatty into building successful teams and being a successful coach. Coach Beatty believed that by caring for one another, teammates would be able to forge a relationship that would be based on trust. Trust is essential for each team member to easily rely on each other's support. Doing the right thing is a winning mantra that has guided Coach Beatty and something he often used on his players. Players had to do the right thing for their teammates, the head coach and coaching staff, and the school. Coach Beatty's coaching philosophy is based on three core values and these values ensured, over the years, his players and his teams would became successful.

The coaching principles of Coach Beatty were hard work, mentoring, and winning. Coach Beatty believed he was not a friend of the student-athletes but more of a mentor. This theory was proven in one of the situations where a 17-year old student was prepared to be yelled at and cussed at by Coach Beatty (Athlon, Sports, 2013). Coach Beatty believed in hard work and he also encouraged and pushed his players and parents during football season. That is one of the reasons Coach Beatty did not believe in excuses. The old saying goes, winning isn’t everything, but Coach Beatty loved winning and his winning percentage of 85% showed his will to win (Trinity, n.d.).

Coaching styles are like leadership styles, where the technique may be democratic, authoritarian, holistic, and autocratic. Coach Bob Beatty's coaching style was more autocratic, as the coach was known to tell his players what to do and how to do it. The players played their role in ensuring the vision of Coach Beatty was followed. Coach Beatty knew his coaching style would influence his players with his knowledge and skills and ensure the team knew he was in control. Najjar (2017) explained Coach Beatty's statement when he said that he did not have any friends and would carry his own coffin when he died. His statement was more in reference to his coaching style. He believed in the authority of the head coach (Bozich, 2021).

Characteristics Admired

Various articles about Coach Beatty show that he was not a friendly person but more about a man who got the job done. This is one of the characteristics that I, as a reader, admire most about Coach Beatty. Coach Beatty was a hardworking man who knew exactly what had to be done to maintain a winning mentality. He was able to convince his players and their parents, at the beginning of every football season, to sacrifice. He would also play his part, by sacrificing, through working tirelessly (Bozich, 2021). After his retirement, the president of Trinity High School, Bob Mullen, explained how Coach Beatty would leave meetings early to get to practice (Bozich, 2021).

The winning mentality of Coach Beatty is the one characteristics of him that is so admired by many people. Coach Beatty’s winning mentality ensured that year after year; he created a team that was able to compete and win state championships. In 2013, he was able to overhaul his entire coaching staff after losing several games as well as the state championship. He was able to restructure the coaching staff and appointed Jay Cobb and the team’s new defensive coordinator. All of these changes were done to ensure his next team was able to get back to Coach Beatty’s winning ways. These changes happened after losing the state championship. The same mentality was instilled in Coach Beatty’s players every football season, and this mentality ensured any players who played for him gave their all.

Coaches must be leaders in order to be successful. The lead character of Coach Beatty was a significant determinant in the success that he achieved. Leaders guide, motivate, instruct, and mentor the team into becoming better. This method is the same as Coach Beatty used to mentor, motivate and guide his teams into becoming better. This method is reflected in all the coaching roles Coach Beatty was a part of from 1978. He was able to instill these three values, do the right thing, do everything to the best of your ability, and care about one another. These values were the motivating factor and principles that guided his teams over the years.

Bozich (2021) talked of hand signals Coach Beatty used when communicating with his players during games. Other coaches used to laugh at the signs. However, they were effective as the results would show that his teams were winning. The character of a good communicator is what is admired about an excellent head coach. Communication means excellent communication skills by a coach, which allowed his teams to comprehend the lesson being taught. Communication should be dialogue in order to create a place for feedback.

One of the three values that made the coaching philosophy of Coach Beatty so interesting is trust. Trust is a value and characteristic that led to the success of Coach Beatty as a coach. Coach Beatty built his teams on values such as trust, which were essential in promoting teamwork. Trust is very vital when creating an effective team. Teammates must rely on one another while participating in a competitive sport such as football. Trust also provides a sense of safety, where teammates are able to open up and expose any vulnerabilities.

Qualities to model as a Coach

A coach should have excellent communication skills. Communication is vital in coaching, as it enables the coaching staff to understand the various needs of the players. The coaching staff should also be able to provide positive feedback and constructive criticism. Managerial communication characteristic skills include; coaching, emotional intelligence, teams, listening, and meetings (Barrett, 2006). Excellent communication skills will be effective in anger management and other issues that may arise as a result of poor communication.

A winning mentality is good for any sports team. Instilling a winning mentality in any team requires factors such as mentoring, motivation, trust, goal setting, attitude, and preparation. The application of psychological concepts in training will also effectively create a winning mentality (Godfrey and Winter, 2016). As a coach, implementing all the above factors, which will be essential for the team, is very important. A winning mentality has an effect on wins and losses, as it will ensure the team is prepared should a loss occur.

Lessons learned from Coach Bob Beatty.

Coach Bob Beatty was a very successful football coach who was able to lead his teams in winning 15 state championships and one national championship. Many of his championships were done through dedication, hard work, leadership, and commitment. There are many lessons to be learned from Coach Beatty's career as a football coach that will most definitely help anyone in becoming a better coach. Hard work pays is a manner often explained by leaders to subordinates. Coach Beatty's career is definitely an example of how much hard work pays off. Coach Beatty was described as a hardworking coach who expected others to work hard and, in return, also gave his best (Bozich, 2021). During football season, Coach Beatty ensured that his team was always prepared to give their all and he always instilled great values that guided his teams. Any coach can learn to work hard and ensure that same discipline in his/her team. Working hard also shows that the coach is leading by example and will encourage others to work hard.

Another lesson learned from Coach Beatty is that winning requires planning and a winning mentality. Coach Beatty did not just win; he planned for games, developed technology, and was able to instill the correct values in his teams. A winning mentality has to be supported by a coach’s philosophy and all of the various factors that go with it. This lesson is essential for growth as a coach. Maintaining a relationship with team members is a crucial factor. However, the nature of the relationship is vital. Coach Beatty knew where to draw the line and maintained a coaching and mentor relationship and his teams understood that he was not their friend. Such a relationship builds confidence and respect for any coach.

Coach Beatty's value in building his teams, like taking care of one another, is essential in promoting trust in a team. This is a good lesson, especially when implementing a culture of trust and teamwork. The players must rely on one another when playing a competitive sport in order to succeed, and ensure the players trust each other will help build relationships. This method was very effective for Coach Beatty because this method led to the beginning of effective teams that became so successful during his coaching career.

Coaching Objectives Developed from Coaching Philosophy

In the development of a coaching philosophy, various coaching objectives were relied on. These objectives included discipline and focus, good work ethic, communication skills, and sportsmanship. These objectives can ensure individuals fine tune playing skills, focus their minds while engaging in discipline. It is very difficult when coaching young athletes due to the concentration factor. However, teaching young athletes discipline and focus will ensure they are able to develop as athletes.

The three broad objectives provided include; winning, athletes having fun, and development of athletes. A developed coaching philosophy should be based on the objective of developing athletes. Baxter-Jones (2019), in a study on the development of athletes, suggested that sports training can be used in the production of physical attributes of young athletes. The development of young athletes is very essential in ensuring they are prepared, both physically and mentally. This requires instilling young athletes with discipline, confidence, and a good work ethic. Young athletic development almost always plays a key role in winning, as the right attitude can be instilled in the athletes.

The importance of athletes having fun is that fun can be used in relaxing most anyone, especially athletes. Sports are very competitive, and at times could have a negative impact on the athlete. There are cases where athletes have developed mental issues due to the effects of sports. Ensuring athletes have fun reduces stress levels, ensuring the athlete’s well-being, both physically and mentally. Relaxation is also related to winning, as a relaxed athlete will have the space to think logically. Decision-making while playing sports will become very easy for the athlete.

Conclusion

A coach’s beliefs, values, and principles are the ingredients for forming a solid coaching philosophy (Lyle & Cushion, 2010). Every coach has his/her own beliefs, values, and principles that should act as a guide to their role has a coach or in the coaching process. This paper looked at Coach Bob Beatty, who was a famous high school football coach. Coach Beatty's philosophy was all about teamwork, trust, and building relationships. These values, beliefs, and principles were essential to the success Coach Beatty had in a career that spanned over twenty-one years. A coaching philosophy is very important and necessary, as it offers guidance to a coach during the coaching process. Therefore, the success of any coach is most definitely tied to a solid coaching philosophy.

References

Athlon Sports. (2013). Top 10 High School Football Coaches in America. Retrieved from

https://athlonsports.com/high-school/top-10-high-school-football-coaches-america

Barrett, D.J. (2006), "Strong communication skills a must for today's leaders , "Handbook of Business Strategy , Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 385-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/10775730610619124

Baxter-Jones, Adam. (2019). Physical Growth and Development in Young Athletes: Factors of Influence and Consequence. Kinesiology Review. 8. 211-219. 10.1123/kr.2019-0024.

Bozich R. (2021). Bob Beatty put Trinity football in a league of its own. WDRB. Retrieved from https://www.wdrb.com/sports/bozich-bob-beatty-put-trinity-football-in-a-league-of-its-own/article_76b43b84-5131-11eb-83cd-3f9b3c09edcb.html

Carless, D., & Douglas, K. (2011). Stories as Personal Coaching Philosophy. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 6(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.1.1

Godfrey Suzie & Winter Stacy. (2016). Winning Mentality: A Reflective Account of Delivery to a Professional Football Academy. Case studies in Sports and Exercise Psychology Volume 1: issue 1 pg. 63-75

Lyle John & Cushion Chris. (2010). Sports Coaching: Professionalization and Practice.

Najjar P. (2017). Trinity Celebrates Title number 24. Retrieved from http://catholicsportsnet.com/louisville/articles/2017/1/10/trinity-celebrates-title-no--24

Trinity High School. (n.d.). Bob Beatty. Retrieved from https://www.trinityrocks.com/admissions/academics/faculty/#bob-beatty