It is quite difficult to tackle things about philosophy. It requires a deeper sense of understanding in order to conceptualize what philosophy is all about. Before you even begin to formulate your coaching philosophy, try to consider and answer the following questions: Why are you coaching? What type of coach do you want to become? And who are you going to coach? These are relevant questions that will guide you and help you develop your own coaching philosophy. Coaching embraces a very huge responsibility to yourself, to the staff, and to your players.
Before going any further, what is the real meaning of philosophy? There have been many definitions. I will just give a few of them. The American Heritage English dictionary defined philosophy as follows:
- Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.
- A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a particular field or activity; an underlying theory.
- A system of values by which one lives.
Regarding of how philosophy is being interpreted, it is clear that it mainly refers to an individual’s principles and standards in which he greatly believes in. This is what philosophy is all about and you should have a clear picture of it.
Every coach has his own coaching philosophy. The real difference is that every individual is unique and has his own beliefs and opinions on things. And so, here you are. You want to be a coach and establish your very own philosophy. You want it to become peculiar or unique among the others. How would you do this? Let me help you with this matter. Have a look at the following ideas that can help you develop your coaching philosophy.
Create your very own coaching objective. Your objective will help you analyze what your philosophy should be centered about. You can set an objective of winning basketball games, or you can set an objective of nurturing your players first. A great coach does not look directly on winning games or championships. He always considers his players first. Considering here means you take your players as your first priority. You focus on getting them to shape up, physically and mentally, and help them develop their basketball skills. A good coach believes that if he starts with nurturing his players, everything will just follow through, especially winning.
A coach’s objective is never centered on him. It will always be his team and his players.
Think about what lessons in life you want your players to learn relating to playing the sport. In making your philosophy, determine what kind of lessons that you want your players to learn. It should be something that will create an impact in their lives as a player and as a human being, even after they have stopped playing basketball. For example, you want your players to learn the meaning of self-sacrifice. As a basketball player, you can have a responsibility that disables you to spend more time with your family; and it gives you a lot of pain during trainings. Trainings can be very exhausting. You push your muscles to the limit until you feel every sting of pain within your body. These are all forms of self-sacrifice and coaches emphasize that, at times, you need to make sacrifices in order to succeed in life. This lesson can also be applied in all aspects of a player’s life. This is what a coach should include upon developing a philosophy.
Determine the things that you want your player to attain from their basketball experience. Everything you do has a purpose. A coach you try to nourish your players in a way because you know what your player can become. With your coaching philosophy, you determine what you want your players to achieve. Of course, more than winning championships, you want your players to develop a higher degree of basketball skills, self-discipline, and a sense of purpose. Help your athletes to become great players and responsible individuals as well.
Develop the skills that your player need in order to achieve success. Your coaching philosophy should also reflect your desire to develop your player’s basketball abilities. As a coach, must be unselfish. You think and act for the benefit of your team. You spend time with your players individually so that you can focus on developing each player’s skills. You share your knowledge, your time, and everything about you that can help your player enhance their skills. You do all these things in order to achieve success. Success is the fruit of your hard work, and you want to share the experience of success among your team.
Conceptualize the meaning of success. Success can be easily defined. However, you must be able to truly analyze and conceptualize the true meaning of success. Success can start from being able to establish a good relationship with your players, build an effective basketball system, and develop your players’ basketball skills. Winning hard games or championships is a major bonus which is something you and your players work for. You do all these practices just to get victory on some level. However, the true meaning of success for coaches is being able to see their players develop to become mature individuals. Whether you lose or win, it is a coach’s accomplishment to see his players demonstrate good basketball, and sportsmanship; the maturity of accepting defeat; and the willingness to move on and keep on improving.
A successful coach takes the time to make his own philosophy. No matter how the game will be, he always sticks to what he believes in. This kind of coach is someone you can call a man of principle. He is ruled by the ethical standards of his principles and he has the tendency to influence his players positively. He creates a legacy among his players. And that legacy can never be erased in the hearts and minds of his players. He truly serves as the best example, not just as a coach, but also as an individual. Lastly, your philosophy will also reflect what kind of individual you are inside and out.
[info_box]Picture credit: arturdonate • Creative Commons Attribution[/info_box]
