Coaching Philosophy Paper Coach, Mentor, and Role Model Carrie Lehocky September 13, 2010
Coach, Mentor, and Role Model It s not just about winning. It s about playing the game and having fun. Cristi Curtis The words of my former coach Cristi Curtis, or Curt as we all called her, are engrained into my head like she said them just yesterday, and are the foundation to my coaching philosophy. I have been blessed with many inspirational coaches such as Curt, who I looked up to as role models, mentors, and life inspirers. It is because of these coaches and the impact they have made on my life that I want to follow in their footsteps. They have molded me into the person that I am today and it is my goal to impact future athletes in a way that makes them not only better volleyball or basketball players but better people in society. Athletics are one of the greatest tools that can be used to teach morals, values, and ethics. The purpose of athletics is not only to compete and build on one s skill level, but it is to also build character, discipline, and responsibility. The coach dictates just how much the athlete gets out of the sport and what character traits he or she builds upon. If the coach pushes them to reach their potential and never lets them settle, then the athlete will understand the importance of hard work and what can be accomplished from putting in the effort. Also athletics allow for athletes to learn to cooperate with others, work together for a common goal, and grow in virtues like courage, humility, patience, and perseverance. These things doesn't just happen, we must be intentional about it. Coaches need to demonstrate through their words and actions the values of sports that translate well into daily life, including respect for oneself and others, fairness, grace in defeat, and humility in victory. As a coach, it is one of my goals to teach my athletes the values hidden within the sport so that they can build on their character and become better people.
In order to help build my athletes disposition I see it as my priority to become a mentor for them. The coaches that I have had were more than just drill sergeants and rule makers; they were my closest role models and played a huge role in helping me through school, sports, and life struggles. I believe that a coach should invest interest in each of their athletes lives and make sure they are going down a good path inside and outside of the school setting. By showing your athletes you care, they will be more apt to come to you if they need advice or guidance. They will begin to trust you and will be more willing to open up to you about any problems on or off the court they have. Another important part in becoming a mentor is to model the behavior you want your athletes to have. As a coach your players witness your conduct on and off the court at all times. It is important to not be disrespectful to opposing coaches and officials but instead show sportsmanship towards them. By doing so you are teaching you athletes that it is not ok to be disrespectful and that you expect them to carry themselves in a positive way just like you model. It goes down to the saying treat others how you would like to be treated. If as a coach you go around preaching one thing but portray a different thing, the athletes will not respect the rules that you put in place for sportsmanship and conduct. I have many other goals as a coach when it comes to sports, which go hand in hand with building my athletes character. I want others to view my team as competitive, hard working, respectful, and winning team. Thus far I have only stressed the importance of building character but I would be naive not to mention the importance of winning. I absolutely hate the feeling that goes along with losing and believe it is a sign of weakness and not being prepared if you lose. It is my goal to develop winning teams who succeed not because they are more skilled, but instead because they are harder working and more determined to win. I believe the feeling of victory allows the athlete to understand why I
pushed them so hard during practice and the off-season. The competitiveness of sports has always been what pulls me to them, and the feeling of winning a hard fought battle is something that I want my teams to experience as much as possible. In order to succeed on the court as a team, I have to uphold the most important goal of coaching, and that is to teach the skills and strategies of the game. I believe as a coach you need to be organized and very prepared when it comes to practice and games. Practices should build upon each other and have a progression to them. It is my philosophy that practices should be harder than games, so the athletes are physically, emotionally, and mentally prepared to compete. I believe that coaches have many other responsibilities and objectives to abide by. As a coach, you have to have a solid relationship with administration, teachers, and peers. These are the people who support the program and who are the audience of everything a coach does. It is important to have good relationships the principle, superintended, and athletic director for many reasons. If there is an issue with parents, players, or opposing coaches it is very beneficial to have them on your side so they can help back you up or give you advice on how to correct the situation. It is also valuable to have the administration on your side when it comes to creating programs such as little kids camps, team camps, community 3 on 3 tournaments, and various other activities. The more support your program has as a coach, the more helpful it is to get the ball rolling in many areas of planning and coordinating events. Another responsibility of a coach is to have a set standard for discipline, playing time, and parent-coach relationships. I believe that as a coach, once you set a rule you have to follow through with it and punish someone or the team if they do not follow it. This mindset is truthful for academic rules also. If a player gets a detention or suspension, they will not be allowed to practice or dress for games for a set amount of
days depending on the severity of the misdemeanor. Along those lines, if any form of alcohol or drugs is used in or out of season and as a coach I hear about it, the student will have to sit for 1/4 th of the season. If it continues to be an issue they will be asked to turn in their uniforms and not be allowed back on the team. There are many other rules that will be enforced on my teams, but I feel like these two topics are ones coaches often overlook especially when it is one of their star players who break them. Another important rule/theory coaches should abide by is the notion of playing time. I believe a coach should stick by belief that the younger the athletes are the more they have to work on getting equal playing time for all of the athletes. In middle school its especially important to allow each individual equal playing time so that they can develop as athletes and build on their confidence. As you move up into the high school years, it becomes more a competitive and winning mindset. Players and parents need to be informed that at the varsity level the coach is in it to win it and the players cant expect playing time. If there any issues about court time, the parents or guardians are not allowed approach the coach and have to relay their concern through their daughter. On my team the athletes will have to earn their spot on the team and then work even harder to see court time. Regardless of how much playing time I got, some of the strongest values that I have acquired are through sports. I don t remember all of the details of every athletic season that I have participated in but I do remember all of the life lessons I have learned through them. My coaches inspired me to become the person I am today, and are my mentors and role models to this day. It is my hope to do the same and inspire my athletes to succeed not only on the court, but also in all of their lives endeavors. I want to win, but in the end I see winning as whether or not my athletes are better people after playing game and if I was able to make a positive impact on their lives.