McFarland Murph

HHP 324 Coaching & Officiating

Dr. Rebecca Buchanan
April 7, 2016

Paper 2

My coaching philosophy is that the harder a team works the more success
they will have. If a team doesnt work hard and doesnt give their best effort each
and every day, then the team will ultimately not succeed on or off the field. I plan to
bring this mindset to players when I step on the field from the first day of practice
till the last day that Im here. I firmly believe if we stick together and work hard as a
team then we will defy the odds that hold us back as a team. In addition to having a
tremendous work ethic, my players will also have amazing character on and off the
field by going to class, following the rules and guidelines of this institution and not
embarrassing the football team in any way. This team will be the remodel and
standard for this University and surrounding communities. My hope is that the
values and work ethic that we instill within our players will not only change the way
they play, but help them evolve as people as well.
The thing I want to be known for as a coach is that I was successful in
winning games but that I also changed peoples lives and that I helped them
become better people. The goal I have for myself is not winning five to ten
championships, but hearing a player tell me, coach you changed my life. or
coach I have a nice job along with a beautiful wife and two kids. Things like this

last longer than a trophy and stay with you longer than any ring thats on your
finger. The fact that I changed a young mans life means that I succeeded in leading
that young man in the right direction to live a good and prosperous life. I will also be
proud of the fact that I held my players accountable for all of their actions whether
it was committed on or off the field and that I will enforce a fair punishment. The
reason why I have this method in my philosophy is because while being a good
coach is considered to have success in winning and developing other players skill
sets, its also important that I do whats morally right despite if the punishment
hurts the team. I stand by this mindset, because once players feel they are
invincible then they will feel that theyre in control of the team. Once a player feels
like he has that control, then a variety of negative things will happen such as a
division in the locker room, other players on the team feeling like theyre above
everyone else and a coachs authority being challenged and more negative things
that could damage a team.
When it comes to the statement that sport provides coaches the opportunity
to realize a range of technical, physical and moral excellences, (Hardman & Jones,
p. 72) I totally agree. I feel that as a coach these are the most impactful aspects
that any coach could use with his team. The reason why my philosophy fits this
statement is because it highlights all of the things I want to accomplish as a coach.
The first one being that I used my method of working hard to help my players get
better at the techniques and fundamentals of the sport. The second involves
helping my players bodies adjust to the physicality of the sport. For the third part of
the statement describing moral excellence, I want my players to compete at the
highest level in the game, but I also want them to have a good set of morals that
they can live and go by in everyday life. An example of this comes from a quote in
Hardman & Jones book, The Ethics of Sports Coaching. In the book the quote

states that, While the moral sagacity of coaching at the elite level may draw
disapproval and condemnation from those who consider the sphere as one marked
by selfish instrumentalism, individual coaches and individual coaching actions of
great integrity survive. (Hardman & Jones, 2007, p. 76) In this quote by Harman
and Jones, they describe how individual coaches who run their program with
integrity and morals tend to last longer in elite level athletics. In general, while its
good to win a lot of games and have a lot of talented athletes, its important to have
good morals as the basis for your program.
One of the statements that reflect my philosophy the most says that, the
coach, as a central cog in the sports environment, has moral responsibilities
reaching far beyond the purely technical and tactical. (Hardman & Jones, 2007,
p.72) This statement definitely highlights the key points in my philosophy, because
it talks about how a coachs moral responsibility outweighs the technical and
physical aspects of any sport, which is what I want my team to revolve around. An
example of this also comes from Hardman & Jones book The Ethics of Sports
Coaching. The quote states that, Emphasizing how sport impacts character
requires ethical reflection and evaluation from both (morally) good coaches and
(morally) good athletes, and for both athletes and coaches, such a goal involves
embracing a complex process that includes education, training, instruction,
reflection, practice, experience and emulation. (Hardman & Jones, 2007, p.77) This
quote represents the focal point of my program and how I will use morals to benefit
my team in all aspects of morality such as character, integrity, accountability and
more. I feel that these statements symbolize my goals for the team and the
qualities they will possess.
In developing my philosophy, I used different secrets or methods from
coaches that have had a huge impact on their players while also being extremely

successful. One of the most influential secrets came from Mike Candrea, a softball
coach who has won six national championships at the University of Arizona and
other prestigious awards in coaching softball. When asked about character in
coaching he said that, I think kids are going to reflect the head coach. If you look at
successful programs you are going to probably find more head coaches who are
more well-rounded. (Jansen & Dale, 2006, p.52) In this response given by Mike
Candrea, he describes how he feels players reflect their coach and how its
important to watch your actions because players tend to follow your example. This
response is really important to me because in order for my players to buy in to my
philosophy, I have to live by those expectations and handle myself in the best way I
possibly can so my players can follow my lead. Another secret that helped me
establish my philosophy came from University of Florida Head Volleyball Coach Mary
Wise who has won 19 sec conference championships and has appeared in 7 Final
Fours during her career. When asked about caring she stated that, Its not about
the coach; its about these players and where they come from and what makes
them respond. (Hardman & Jones, 2007, p.103) This answer by Mary Wise shows
how she treats her players and how she uses that to make them respond in a
positive way. Like Mary Wises method, I want to make sure I know how to treat my
players so they can respond in a positive way. By using this method I can encourage
my players to follow my philosophy and my system. Overall, in order to establish a
philosophy based on morals you have to set a great example for your players while
also caring about them as well.
While incorporating my philosophy, I plan to use my strengths and abilities to
coach my players in the most effective way. Some of those strengths and abilities
consist of relating to players, encouragement, being motivational, passionate,
developing a scheme, thinking through situations, strategizing and being consistent.

All of these strengths and abilities will play a huge role in how I coach my team and
how I emphasize my philosophy to my players. With all the strengths and abilities I
contain there are certain limitations that I will not cross. Some of those limitations
include never embarrassing a player no matter how frustrating the situation, never
putting my hands on a player in a disrespectful or confrontational way, never
undermining my assistant coaches and never risk a players health or life for a play
or game. The limits I have just mentioned are limits I dont want to cross. I feel that
if I cross these limit then I will lose the respect of my players, assistant coaches, the
entire athletic department and even my family. In the end, while its good to use
your strengths and your abilities to the fullest extent its also important to watch
what lines you cross and how they can affect the people around you.
In conclusion, I plan to use this philosophy to build a team that works hard,
plays hard and has extreme character. My goal is to instill good morals within every
player on this team so that they can learn a lot from this sport and how it reflects
life in so many ways.