PHILOSOPHY OF COACHING
I enjoy sharing my philosophy of coaching as it often reflects my philosophy of life. Life is too short to be an unpleasant and negative experience. In everything I do, I strive to maintain a positive attitude. Coaching is a career that allows me to teach the fundamental principles of life in a positive way. Teaching discipline, respect for others, and teamwork in a positive way is something I look forward to each day at work.
I teach three values to student-athletes. All athletes are expected to “be on time, be respectful, and work hard.” These values are my team rules. Keeping my rules simple allows me to enforce them one-hundred percent of the time. If a person can learn to arrive on time, treat others with respect, and work hard, they can accomplish anything in life. Each day I talk about these values with athletes to serve as a constant reminder of the values of successful people. Creating a system of rules that focuses more on what athletes should do instead of what they shouldn’t do creates a more disciplined team. Building an atmosphere of discipline is the first step toward building a successful team.
The second step in team building is creating a sense of pride in team success. I use two very important mottos with players. Everyday when the team breaks down to dismiss we finish by saying, “we will.” Our second slogan, “teamwork makes the dream work,” is another way of reminding athletes that success is not the product of one person’s efforts but the result of a team working together to achieve their goals. I also ask our players to write their own pledge that they say at the end of every practice to remind themselves of the commitment they have made to each other.
The third step in successful team building is recognizing team success over individual success. I believe that coaches must point out the efforts of the other players on the field or court that allow a teammate to find success. Rewarding players for achieving team goals is much more important than rewarding individual stats or accomplishments. Setting team goals will avoid making players feel less important than other athletes and build a sense of ownership in the team’s success.
Finally, I believe that everyday a coach arrives at work with the opportunity to influence a student athlete’s life in a positive or negative way. Each day I look forward to being the positive influence that teaches discipline, respect for others, and teamwork to student-athletes. Following this simple philosophy has allowed me to coach several very successful teams during the past ten years and I believe that it will continue to produce winning teams throughout my career.