First Draft

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Personal Coaching and Leadership Philosophy: Concordia University Irvine Baseball

STUDENT’S NAME

Master’s in Coaching and Athletics Administration, Concordia University Irvine

MCAA 510 – Principles of Coaching and Leadership

INSTRUCTOR’S NAME

DATE

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Philosophy of Coaching

A coaching philosophy is an essential element of laying the foundation of any program.

Its key components are the mission statement, vision statement, and core values of the program.

The mission statement conveys the message of the identity of the program. The vision statement

supports the mission statement as it outlines how the program expects to achieve its mission.

Building upon the mission and vision statement, the core values are the steps to achieve the

vision statement. The core values are non-negotiable within the program, and they set the

standard. A coach must communicate throughout a season what the mission statement, vision

statement, and core values mean to the program. If a player or member of the coaching staff fails

to understand, then the coach is responsible for making it clear. To demonstrate examples of the

three components of a coaching philosophy, the Concordia University Irvine (CUI) baseball

program will be utilized.

Mission Statement

Officially stated, the mission of being an Eagle is to “represent the university with honor

and dignity by competing at a high level with respect for our opponents, our community, and for

the game.” Players accept the responsibility of representing the program on the field, in the

classroom, and within the community. It is understood that players’ decisions are a direct

reflection of the program. To be an Eagle is a deep commitment to play the game the right way

by respecting the game, the umpires, and the opponents. In the classroom, players will strive to

be the hardest workers and respectful students to all professors. It is an honor to represent the

Eagles on and off the field.

Vision Statement

CUI unites under the following vision statement: “Eagles baseball will continue the

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tradition of success through determination, work ethic, and striving to win the day.” Concordia

University Irvine’s baseball program has been around since the 1970s. It is a proud tradition and

a great responsibility for incoming athletes to continue the tradition of success. The program sets

the ultimately goal of winning the national championship each season.

At the beginning of every season, the team meets to discuss the goals for the upcoming

season. The coaching staff writes “National Championship” at the top of the board to let

everyone know this is the ultimate goal. From there, the team discusses what needs to happen to

reach the ultimate goal. The discussion breaks it down from winning a regional to winning the

PACWEST conference. Eventually, the conversation gets into what the team can do daily to get

one step closer to a National Championship. Players and coaches can do something each day to

win the day, and bring the team closer to achieving the goals set forth. Every practice, coaches

ask that each player brings his best effort.

The Eagles baseball program demands a 3.0 G.P.A. minimum to participate on the team.

Academics are extremely important to team goals, and coaches will strive to have every Eagle

baseball player graduate. Once their playing days are over, they are still representing the program

every day. It is a proud tradition to have our alumni return and encourage the new members of

the Eagles family. To be successful, the team must show the same determination and work ethic

that is displayed on the field when we are in the classroom.

Eagles also strive to win the day within the community. The team participates in a local

charity called Extreme. Extreme allows those with disabilities to play sports. The baseball

program is a proud supporter and the players spend time with these athletes. They encourage

them to do their best and to have fun playing sports. The team has an annual game against

Extreme, which leaves a lasting impression on everyone that is involved. The team’s success as a

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program goes beyond the wins and losses.

Core Values

It’s a Great Day to be an Eagle!

The Eagles’ baseball team will not take a single day for granted. The team is united by

the motto of “it’s a great day to be an Eagle!” Every day is a blessing and should be treated as

such. Being an Eagle is an honor and the team will strive to win the day. Players and coaches

will work hard and push each other to become better. In every drill, the players will focus and

work to improve from the day prior. This is the team’s number one value because it becomes a

rallying cry for our players. It is special to hear a player yell this out when the team is

conditioning and everyone needs encouragement. It is a reminder to represent the program with

everyone’s best effort every day.

Persistence

Every game, every drill, and every season the program keeps playing hard until the finish

line is reached. The team is committed to play hard until the final out in the final game. Too

often in sports, a team jumps out to a big lead early, and then they lose focus as they believe the

game is all but over. Once the focus is lost, it is difficult to recover if the other team starts

making a comeback. Eagles’ players will finish every time. The team does not believe in running

up the score to embarrass an opponent, but coaches ask the players to entrust the coaching staff

with handling decisions such as advancing one base at a time or not bunting. Baseball is a unique

sport where there is no clock. The game will not end until the final out is made. Exhibiting

persistence in a strong finish is a rule that can be influential outside of baseball as well.

Giving Great Effort

Many people have heard the phrase, “give 110%,” which means to give everything a

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person can and then a little extra. The Eagles’ program never liked to put it that way, as the

coaching staff wanted it to be a realistic rule. Sometimes, the game’s outcome will not go the

way the team would like it to, but as long as everyone gave 100% effort, there are no regrets. The

players and coaches should not hold anything back when on the field, in the classroom, in our

relationships, and our jobs. To be committed to a group means that everyone is fully invested.

Each person has a responsibility to the people in their life to give it his or her best effort all the

time. The program will not settle for anything less than 100% effort.

Team Unity

Once a player or coach is a part of this program, they become an Eagle for life. The

coaches hope that the lessons learned and the built relationships are carried with each person

throughout their lives. It is a brotherhood that ties all Eagles together. It is a sense of pride to say,

“I am an Eagle.” When players graduate, their time as an Eagle is not over. They represent the

program each day, and it is a great honor to call yourself an Eagle.

Coaching Style

Each coach has a unique perspective that lends itself best to a given coaching style.

Despite this, each coach has the ability to adjust their style to fit the needs of their program. I

strive to embrace a transformational style of coaching as I have seen its impact on my players.

When I first started coaching, I had a commanding coaching style. I was arrogant in thinking I

knew the game and how to get wins. The more I demanded, the more it seemed I was losing the

team. If I did not change to best reach my players, it would be a disservice.

I chose to change to a transformational style of coaching in order to elevate the interests of those

following me (Schlichtemeier, 2018). It allowed me to put my pride aside and really become a

true leader. Being a transformational coach has allowed me to be more hands-on with my players

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and build trusting relationships. Coach Phil Jackson described his leadership philosophy as

“developing a strong team culture through empowerment of his players, communication, respect,

and trust” (Martens, 2012, p. 5). I have worked with my players more than ever, which has given

me insight into how to best make adjustments. Every year the team is different and it is up to the

coach to work with the team to identify issues and make adjustments. I am very thankful that I

have adjusted to this style of leadership as I have built terrific relationships with some players. It

is a great reward for a coach to see his players succeed on and off the field.

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References

Martens, R. (2012). Successful coaching (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Schlichtemeier, K. (2018). Exemplary leading/coaching: Characteristics [PowerPoint slides,

video presentation]. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B35MBtL-

odLydVNUeWVlN2pad3c/view?usp=sharing.