Coaching Philosophy

COACHING
PHILOSOPHY
Your success as a coach will depend more on your
coaching philosophy than on any other factor.
By philosophy is meant the beliefs or principles
that guide the actions you take.
It is the foundation on which all your knowledge about
sports science, sports management, and techniques and
tactics will be built.
Your coaching philosophy will determine how wisely
you use this knowledge.
COACHING OBJECTIVES
To have a winning team
To help young people have fun
To help young people develop . . .
–  physically, by learning sports skills, improving physical
conditioning, developing good health habits, and avoiding
injuries;
–  psychologically, by learning to control their emotions and
developing self-worth;
–  socially, by learning cooperation in a competitive context and
appropriate standards of behavior (sportsmanship).
Which of these objectives are important to you?

What will your priorities be?
A Winning Philosophy
ATHLETES FIRST
Commitment
WINNING SECOND
SPORTSMANSHIP
STRIVING
TO WIN
Athletes First, Winning Second
•  Every decision you make and every behavior you

display is based first on what you judge is best for
your athletes
•  Second on what may improve the athlete’s or
team’s chances of winning.
Athletes First, Winning Second is the right priority.
Resist the temptation to abandon your principles
because of pressure to win.
Striving to Win
•  Striving to win within the rules of the game should be the
objective of every athlete and coach.
•  To play sports without striving to win is to be a “dishonest
competitor.”
•  Striving to win is essential to enjoyable competition.
•  It’s the pursuit of the victory, the dream of achieving the
goal more than the goal itself that yields the joy of sports.
•  Many outstanding athletes say that the best memories of
sports are not the victories themselves, but the months of
preparation and anticipation and the self-revelation before
and during the competition.
“Winning isn’t everything, but striving to
Commitment
•  Humanity’s great accomplishments come about
when individuals make an intense commitment
to something, when only their total concentrated
effort may result in success – but even then
success is not guaranteed.
•  Sports attract that type of commitment and
often result in great personal accomplishment.
Sportsmanship
•  Through sport, young people can develop morally – they
can learn a basic code of ethics that is transferable to a
moral code for life.
•  Competitive sport – where winning is a valued prize –
provides opportunities for high levels of moral
development to occur.
•  One value of competitive sport is that moral decisions are
required often, and youngsters face opportunities to learn
and adults to model appropriate sportsmanship.
•  To make an appropriate moral judgment at the expense of
a valued victory is a real test of character as well as an
opportunity to build character.
COACHING STYLES
• Command Style
• Submissive Style
• Cooperative Style
Command Style
•  The coach makes all the decisions. The role of
the athlete is to respond to the coach’s
command.
•  Assumes that the coach has the knowledge and
experience, it is his or her job to tell the athlete
what to do. The athlete’s role is to listen, to
absorb and to comply.
Advantages of Command Style
•  Appears effective because teams need
organization.
•  Team members don’t have to vote on every
decision that has to be made.
•  This style is effective if winning is the primary
objective.
Disadvantages of Command Style
•  Might stifle the athlete’s motivation because they play
for the praise of the coach or to avoid his wrath.
•  Prevents the athletes from fully enjoying the sport.
•  The accomplishments are the coach’s, not the
athletes’.
•  Treats the athletes as robots or slaves, not as thinking
human beings.
•  The style alienates all but the highly gifted athletes and
diminishes the coach’s own satisfaction in relating to
athletes.
•  Not compatible with the objective of “Athletes First,
Winning Second.”
Submissive Style
•  The coach makes as few decisions as possible.

•  The coach provides little instruction, provides minimal
guidance in organizing activities.
•  Resolves discipline problems only when absolutely
necessary.
•  Coaches with this style either lack the competence to
provide instruction and guidance or are too lazy to
meet the demands of their coaching responsibilities.
•  They are misinformed about what coaching is.
Cooperative Style
•  The coach shares decision making with the
athletes.
•  Although they recognize their responsibility to
provide leadership and guide young people
toward achieving the objectives set forth,
cooperative-style coaches also know that the
athletes cannot become responsible adults
without learning to make decisions.
Advantages of Cooperative Style
•  Fosters the “Athletes First, Winning Second” objective.
•  Provides the structure and rules that allow the athletes to set their own goals
and to strive for them.
•  The coach gives direction and instruction when they are needed, but also
knows when it is useful to let athletes make decisions and assume
responsibility.
•  The cooperative style makes the athletes able to cope with pressure, adapt to
changing situations, keep contests in perspective, exhibit discipline and
maintain concentration in order to perform well.
•  Places more trust in the athlete which has a positive effect on self-image.
•  Promotes openness in the social-emotional climate and improves both
communication and motivation.
•  Athletes are motivated not by fear, but by a desire for personal satisfaction.
•  Allows more fun for the athletes.
Disadvantages of Cooperative Style
•  May make people think that adopting this style means

you abandon your responsibilities as a coach or that
you let your athlete do anything they want.
•  Requires more skill on the part of the coach. It means
that the coach must be in control of themselves.
•  Coaches must individualize their coaching.
•  Winning may at times be sacrificed in the interest of the
athlete’s well-being.
WHAT MAKES A SUCCESFUL COACH
Three Attributes of Successful Coaches
•  Knowledge of the Sport

•  Motivation
•  Empathy
Knowledge of the Sport
•  Knowing well the techniques, rules and tactics of the sport.
•  Teaching the fundamentals well to beginners. This requires as
much knowledge, if not more, than teaching elite athletes.
•  This removes the risk of injury and frustration from repeated
failure for the athlete.
•  The more you know about the basic skills and teaching them in
the proper sequence, the more success and fun you and your
athletes will have.
•  Your ability to teach the skills will earn you great respect from
the athletes.
•  This gives you more credibility that you can use in teaching other
important things such as: sportsmanship, emotional control, and
respect for others and themselves.
Motivation
•  You can have all the skills and knowledge, but

without the motivation to use them, you cannot
be a successful coach.
•  Sometimes coaches don’t have sufficient
motivation to make the time for doing what is
necessary to be successful.
Empathy
•  Empathy is the ability to readily understand the
thoughts, feeling, and emotions of your athletes and to
convey your sensitivity to them.
•  Coaches who have empathy are able to listen to their
athletes and express their understanding of what was
said.
•  They don't belittle, chastise, or diminish the self-worth
of their athletes.
•  Coaches with empathy more readily communicate
respect for their athletes, and in turn receive more
respect.
BILL OF RIGHTS FOR CHILDREN’S SPORT
All children have the right to:
•  Participate at a level commensurate with each child’s
maturity and ability
•  Qualified adult leadership
•  Play as children and not as adults
•  Share in leadership and decision-making roles
•  Participate in safe and healthy environments
•  Proper preparation for participation in sports
•  An equal opportunity to strive for success
•  Be treated with dignity
•  Have fun in sports
Adapted from a Bill of Rights for Young Athletes prepared under the auspices of
the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
COACHES’ CODE OF BEHAVIOR
•  Be reasonable in your demands on young players’ time,
energy and enthusiasm.
•  Teach your players that rules of the game are mutual
agreements which no one should evade or break.
•  Whenever possible, group players according to age, height,
skills and physical maturity.
•  Avoid over-playing the talented players. The “just-average”
players need and deserve equal time.
•  Remember that children play for fun and enjoyment and
that winning is only part of their motivation. Never ridicule
or yell at the children for making mistakes or losing a
competition.
COACHES’ CODE OF BEHAVIOR . . .
•  Ensure that equipment and facilities meet safety standards

and are appropriate to the age and ability of the players.
•  The scheduling and the length of practice times and
competitions should take into consideration the maturity
level of the children.
•  Develop team respect for the ability of opponents as well
as for the judgment of officials and opposing coaches.
•  Follow the advice of a physician when determining when
an injured player is ready to commence play.
•  Make a personal commitment to keep yourself informed of
sound coaching principles and principles of growth and
development of children.
END

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COACHING

Which of these objectives are important to you?

•  Every decision you make and every behavior you

•  The coach makes as few decisions as possible.

•  May make people think that adopting this style means

•  Knowledge of the Sport

•  You can have all the skills and knowledge, but

•  Ensure that equipment and facilities meet safety standards

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Coaching Philosophy

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Coaching Philosophy

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Coaching Philosophy

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COACHING

Which of these objectives are important to you?

• Every decision you make and every behavior you

• The coach makes as few decisions as possible.

• May make people think that adopting this style means

• Knowledge of the Sport

• You can have all the skills and knowledge, but

• Ensure that equipment and facilities meet safety standards

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

•  Every decision you make and every behavior you

•  The coach makes as few decisions as possible.

•  May make people think that adopting this style means

•  Knowledge of the Sport

•  You can have all the skills and knowledge, but

•  Ensure that equipment and facilities meet safety standards