Coaching Philosophy

Coaching means training or instructing someone.  In order to do that successfully, a coach must emphasize trust, skill, and sportsperson ship.  The relationship that a I, as a coach, want to have with my athletes is based off of these three principals.  There is a balance between them that needs to be maintained, but if it is done properly the athletes will have a successful and rewarding experience. 

Trust is the biggest factor of being a coach.  It is necessary so that athletes know what to expect, and therefore can focus on playing the game.  Trust of athletes is gained through routines, contracts, and my ability to stick to my word.  If athletes know what to expect from practices and games, they will be able to put their effort into playing and not have to stress about the politics of the game.  Being able to keep my word is essential to maintaining trust because athletes need to know that I am a reliable person in their life.  As I want my athletes to trust me, I want to be able to trust them.  Through the same protocols (routines, contracts, and going through with what they promise) I will be able to trust them. 

Skill is necessary for any team that is successful.  In order for a team to become skilled, there must be a preexisting level of fitness.  My athletes will do a pre-season work out to make sure that they are in shape before they come to practices.  There will be an emphasis on fitness in every in season practice, but the main focus will be skill development.  Athletes need to spend a lot of time learning the techniques of their sport and that is what practice time will be used for. I will do extensive research in the sport I am coaching and will keep my athletes competitive by teaching them the most efficient and useful skills for that sport.  

Sportsperson ship means that athletes are acting as good citizens.  I will demand my athletes to have a good academic standing, be respectful, and not have any disciplinary problems.  While athletes may be outstanding at the high school level, chances are that they will not make a living playing sports, this is why I will require my athletes to have high grades.  Athletes need to be respectful of coaches, other athletes, parents, referees, and any other personnel involved in the sport because it will teach them how they should conduct themselves in the real world.  Being an athlete is a privilege that must be earned and my athletes will need to be good citizens in order to play for me. 

By developing trust, teaching proper skills, and demanding that my athletes be good citizens, I believe that I will have a successful team that is made up of well rounded, good citizens.