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Brittany Archer

HHP-324

4/11/18
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Coaching Philosophy

Having a solid coaching philosophy is identifying your reasons for coaching in the first

place. Having a solid and complete coaching philosophy will help you be a better coach and help

your athletes understand you as a coach. Coaching can be a complex profession, but by showing

your athletes and your assistants your beliefs, the process can be less confusing and ultimately

lead you to a more successful coaching career.

What is a good coach? A good coach is a variety of things, but the most important thing a

coach can be is a teacher. Someone who teaches lessons on life, lessons on morals, lessons on

ethics and how to be a better person. Today we live in a society where emphasis is put on

winning but the lessons taught by participating in sports are generally forgotten. We are taught

that most people do not remember who got second at the Olympics, SuperBowl, March Madness

Tournament or any other sporting event.Even avid fans mostly likely do not remember who they

played against. We remember that Duke won the 2015 National Championship in college

basketball, but can most people remember who they played. We remember that Joseph Schooling

beat Michael Phelps in the 100 meter butterfly at the Rio Olympics, but we do not remember that

Schooling took second at the 2017 World Championships after being beat by Caeleb Dressel. A

good coach early on will address that winning is a huge aspect of the sport but it is also not

everything in the sport. “ Sports also provide for young athletes to develop as persons.”

(Hardman & Jones, 2011, pg 104). I hope to teach the lesson of that winning is important but

becoming a better person is the end goal. I would rather impact each of my athletes lives than

expect them to win every meet and every swim.

A good coach may know the X’s and O’s of a game, but to me a good coach shows their

athletes morals. In the beginning of athletes’ careers, many do not understand the meaning of
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sports. “Sport is not necessary for human survival but serves a series of significant social and

cultural interests and goals.” (Hardman and Jones pg 17). As a coach I want to identify what

goals they have for themselves as an athlete and do the best to help them reach that goal by the

time they stop playing sports. A good coach will know what their athletes want to do in their

sport and will help give them the tools to do that. In swimming, the concept of goal setting is

very important. I would sit down with each of my athletes and set goals for the upcoming season.

In addition to time goals, I would give them technique goals and personal advancement goals to

help them become a more well-rounded athlete.

Another goal of mine as a coach is to get to know each athlete individually. Creating

personal relationships on and off the court. Building those relationships will not only help you be

closer to your athletes but will allow you to help build their character. As Coach Mike

Krzyzewski says, “A lot of our success in Duke Basketball has to do with character. And at the

heart of character is honesty and integrity.” (Janssen and Dale, 2006, p.73). As a coach I plan to

bring that type of success to my program. Getting that success is only attainable by building

character. Building character is much easier when the coach knows the athlete. I hope to create

relationships that Getting to help each athletes grow individually will help create a better team

atmosphere.

Coaches are seen as role models to many of their athletes. As a coach I would act in an

ethical manner in order to teach the athletes important lessons. “..sport provides coaches the

opportunity to realize a range of technical, physical and moral excellences.” (Hardman and

Jones, p. 72). Acting in an ethical manner helps the athletes see that being ethical in life is better

in the long run. As a coach, I would find that screaming and yelling at my athletes is not only

unbenefical to them but to me as well. Talking to them in a normal tone will get your point
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across at a quicker and more understanding rate. I would also teach my athletes that cheating is

wrong. In swimming, sometimes it can be easier to get away with small things that can go

unnoticed by the officials such as an extra dolphin kick during a breaststroke pullout. While

having that extra kick may prove to be advantageous, it is ethically wrong. I would explain to

them not to do an extra kick and watch them to make sure they do not do an extra kick. I hope to

teach my athletes that being ethically and morally correct is the best type of person to be.

When reading the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches this semester, I agree with all of

the seven characteristics presented in the book. Credible coaches are character-based, competent,

committed, caring, confidence-builders,communicators and consistent. (Janssen and Dale,

2007,p. 34-36). I agree that those seven characteristics help build a good coach. Having all of the

seven characteristics is vital to creating my coaching philosophy. Excluding just one would not

help me be the coach that my athletes need in order to succeed. Coaches must be character-based

in order to stick to their morals and be a positive role model for their athletes. Being character-

based also helps bring the right type of athletes to your program. As a coach you must be

competent in the changing ways of your sport. I would stay up to date with rule changes and look

for new drills to implement in practice. As a coach I would be committed to my athletes daily by

showing up early to practice and being their whenever they needed to talk. A coach must be

caring and a confidence builder in order to create a positive environment where each and every

athlete has the chance to succeed. I also have to be big on being consistent with practices and

communicating with my athletes and parents.

As a coach I would say that I have many strengths but with those strengths come

limitations. I have been swimming since I was eight years old. I understand the basic mechanics

and how to create a well-rounded practice.Having a coach who has been through the sport
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themselves for a long time, helps athletes buy into the system and culture that the coach is trying

to create. Since I was fifteen years old, I mainly began to focus on distance swimming. I could

write a great distance workout, but that would not be beneficial for the sprinters and the stroke

swimmers that I would have. To get over that limitation, I would need to work hard in educating

myself in the changing aspects of the sport and how to write better practices that benefit

everyone. Growing up, I was always the kid who asked questions, whether at school, the pool or

the basketball court, you could count on me to ask at least five questions. They generally began

with the word, why. That curiosity has always lead me to be curious and open to new ideas. “..

coaches and parents create more room in sport for experimentation, novelty, challenge, and risk-

taking but guided in such a way that young athletes learn to make informed, creative and

meaningful decisions of their own.” (Hardman and Jones,2011, p.114). Going through that phase

myself, will help me be able to help athletes discover that for themselves. I also need to work on

being more patient, as like many people I tend to become impatient after long periods of time.

Working on being more patient will help me be a better listener and coach. With every

limitation, I have found that there is a positive way to overcome them.

Coaching has proven time to time that it is a complex profession, but is also an awarding

profession as well. By staying in touch with my morals and values, I feel as I can lead a program

in a successful route. It will not be easy, but sticking to my morals and goals will help make it

easier for me and my athletes. Coaching requires real-world applications, ethics and luck. I hope

my philosophy will help create and foster athletes to become the best that they want and can be.
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Coaching Philosophy Handout

Three main goals of coaching:

1. Teach my athletes that while winning is a very important part of the sport, the lessons

learned, the character built and the friendships made will outweigh winning or losing in

the long run. A big part of that lesson is the idea of sportsmanship, especially during wins

and losses.
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2. Create an environment where athletes are not afraid to fail,push them past their limits (or

what they believe their limits are), build self-confidence, create lasting friendships and

foster a growing love for the sport each day.

3. To get to know each and every athlete on a personal level. I want my athletes to be

comfortable sharing their life, worries and goals with me. I hope that they will come to

me if they are ever in need of help and advice.

Expectations from Athletes

1. Be open to new ideas

2. Respect one and another

3. Be attentive

4. Learn from your mistakes

5. Build lasting relationships

6. Learn to become a better person

Works Cited

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

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.
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