PHILOSOPHY OF COACHING
With coaching, comes a great deal of responsibility and opportunity. I believe that, that responsibility should be embraced and utilized, as an opportunity to have a positive impact on your player’s lives. Without having an agenda of wanting to make a difference in the people you coach, you will never be able to fully take advantage of that opportunity. Teaching life-skills is just as important as X’s and O’s. Gaining respect from your players is imperative. Treating them with the same respect that you expect, will go a long way to achieving this.
I believe that there are four initial, necessary ingredients in order to be a successful coach and have a winning program. First, is to create a positive environment in which your players can prosper. Second, is to be an excellent communicator and always be open to two-way communication. Third, is to be consistent in the way that you handle everything. And finally, a coach must be organized in every area.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to have talented players. But with the principals already mentioned, recruiting and keeping good athletes in your program will be much easier to achieve. Once you have done this, you will then have their respect and attention.
I speak of “attention” because I have found that in this generation of athletes, it is one of the most difficult things to get on a consistent basis. Technology has led to shorter attention spans. And in order for my philosophy to bring out the best in my players, I must have their attention.
I believe that you excel in all competitive sports by being smarter, better prepared, and more focused than your opponent. The team or player with the “mental edge” is most times the victor. Therefore, taking the time to teach the “nuances” and “situational” aspects of the game are critical to success. Attention to detail. If a player is prepared for any situation that arises, he or she will have a clear advantage over their opposition.
This is why I believe that a good coach can be easily identified by how his team performs in the cerebral areas of the game.
Create that positive environment, communicate clearly, and be consistent and organized. Now you have their respect and attention and a better chance of them buying in to your philosophy. In my case, I call it the “mental edge.”
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