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Coaching Philosophy Paper

My approach to impacting athletes through sports

Connor Stevenson

Emory & Henry College

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When looking throughout the world of sport, the one similarity amongst successful sports

teams and or organizations is their culture. Culture is arguably the most important aspect of a

team which all resonates with the coach. With that said, the culture of a team is based off the

coach’s philosophy. In other words, their core principles that they try to instill in their players to

create the best playing environment possible for their players to thrive in. Without a philosophy,

a coach has no foundation for why they do what they do and to relate back to when adversity

strikes. No philosophy simply means that a coach just teaches the fundamentals of the game and

without any justification behind why they teach it. When I become a coach in the near future, my

philosophy will be based around three “P’s”: punctuality, preparation, passion. I’m under the

firm belief that these principles build on each other and if implemented properly will create a

comfortable yet determined playing environment.

Coaching is a profession where the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” does not

have much meaning because coaches are in fact judged by their “cover”. The “cover” in this

context would be wins and losses, not the impact the coach has on their players on and off the

playing field. According to the book The Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches, “success as coach

will not solely be judged on the quantity of wins you have, but also on the quality of

relationships you develop with your athletes” (Dale & Janssen, p. 11). Mike Candrea, Head

Coach of Arizona softball once said that championships in his eyes are defined in moments when

a former player reaches out years later and say, “You know what? You were very special in my

life” (Dale & Janssen, p. 11).

When I become a coach, I strive to be the coach that is known for being transparent with

his players in all aspects of life and with the parents of players. That is, I am the same person

with the parents as I am with the players. A common trend in sports today is coaches putting on a
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front for parents then when their kids complains that coach did or said something out of line, the

parents are hesitant to believe their child which should never be the case. Being transparent can

be verbal (communicative) while being active. That is, practicing what I preach. The ability for a

coach to be a role model to his players and parents shows integrity and accountability which is

ultimately what any player or parents looks for in a coach.

Furthermore, transparency is an attribute of a coach that does not show up on their wins

and losses but is a key element in what I consider being the “good” coach. Being a “good” coach

can mean being technically proficient in the coaching of the sport itself along with practicing

morally correct practices that end in the same result. One could argue that a coach is either one

or the other, but I strive to be a mixture of both. I am under the belief that every coach should be

knowledgeable and proficient in teaching their sport while also teaching their players life lessons

that make them better adults in the future. The whole premise of sports is to have fun, win, and

mature as a person through experiences good or bad.

The spectrum of coaching in sports reaches far beyond the technical and performance

aspects of the sport. My philosophy stems from being punctual, being prepared, and having

passion are all things that are applicable to not just sports, thus allowing my coaching to go

beyond the X and O spectrum. The three principles that I will pride myself and my players on are

all things that are reinforced in schools, not to mention things needed for life. A quote from The

Ethics of Sports Coaching reinforces this point that “…theoretical aspects of coaches’ knowledge

[should] be learned on the school bench in an academic institution” (Hardman & Jones, p. 51).

Think about it, while in the work force one has to be punctual and prepared in their job to be

successful while hopefully being passionate about what they do. The compilation of the three
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“P’s” of coaching and its applicability to the workforce shows how coaching is not just about

sport, but life!

Every coach should have core principles that make up their coaching philosophy that are

unique to them and what lies behind those principles is inspiration. Part the inspiration to create

my philosophy stemmed from the book The Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches. The seven

secrets that the book is based off of are: character-based, competent, committed, caring,

confidence-builders, communicators, and consistent. Within those seven, my inspiration

originated from character-based, caring, and communicators. These three secrets solidified my

philosophy because I pride myself in each one which is crucial to my philosophy, so that I can

show my players that I am not holding them to standards that I don’t hold for myself. The secret

of caring has a broad definition; however, I relate it to my principle of passion because if one

cares about what they do then they have passion. The secret of communication is the foundation

of every philosophy because in order to implement a philosophy one has to be able to

communicate the message to others. Communication and caring play hand in hand because one

has to communicate to their players their message while showing them that they care for them

for more than just their athletic ability. With all that said, both secrets coincide with the secret of

character-based as a result of how one cares and communicates with others is a testament to their

character. My inspiration in addition to my philosophy are building blocks for my players, so

that they can “conduct themselves in a professional manner” as members of society (Dale &

Janssen, p. 34).

No coach is perfect, despite what the media or loved ones say because every coach is

unique in their own way. Every coach has their strengths and weakness that determine their

ceiling as a coach because ultimately the only person that can limit one as a coach is them self.
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Personally, my strengths as a coach are my organization, punctuality, honesty, and attitude which

all play into my coaching philosophy. To emphasize, I will not hold my players to standards that

I don’t hold for myself, thus my strengths as a coach coincide with my philosophy to ensure that

my players always receive the best “Coach Stevenson” they can! Contrary to my strengths, are

my weakness or limitations which are patience, assumption, and my ability to decipher the

difference between constructive criticism and criticism. As a coach, I sometimes lack the

patience with my athletes that is required when I am trying to teach or relay a message. This

most applicable when I feel the teaching point is easy to understand, but they seem to not be

picking it up. That scenario plays into my other limitation which is assumption, meaning I tend

to assume others know what I am talking about rather than explaining as if nobody knows

anything at all. I’m an extremely honest individual which is good thing, but in coaching

sometimes it tends to be over bearing to the point where my potential player may shut down. In

other words, if I want someone to be do or understand something I will push and push to try and

get them there, but sometimes my comments become more critical than positive and

constructive, resulting in an unconfident athlete.

In conclusion, the philosophy of the coach sets the tone for the entire team and will

ultimately dictate whether the team succeeds or fails. The philosophy of the coach is the

foundation for how he or she recruits, develops, and bonds with their players which are all things

that play a role in the success of the team. My philosophy of the three P’s: punctual, preparation,

and passion, I believe are principles that lay the foundation for a successful team due to the

ability to apply those principles to real life, not just sports. In the grand scheme of things, the job

of coaches is to not only develop athletes athletically, but also assist them in maturing into

young, productive members of society after the conclusion of their athletic career.
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Works Cited

Janssen, J., & Dale, G. A. (2006). The seven secrets of successful coaches: How to unlock and

unleash your teams full potential. Cary, NC: Winning The Mental Game.

Jones, C., & Hardman, A. (2011). The ethics of sports coaching. London: Routledge.
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