Developing a Coaching Philosophy

This is an area of the coaching process that became apparent to me during my Level 2 S&C qualification, of which I completed in 2010. Despite the official recognition that a philosophy has a direct impact on behaviour (Cassidy, Jones & Potrac, 2009), many young coaches consistently fail to engage adequately with the philosophic concept.

What is a coaching philosophy?

A coaching philosophy is a set of values and behaviours that serve to guide the actions of a coach (Wilcox & Trudel, 1998).

How should one go about developing such a functional philosophy?

Kretchmar (1994) suggests that we should use inductive, intuitive and deductive reasoning in developing philosophy. Therefore, the following questions could be addressed:

What is coaching, and why do I think that?
Why am I a coach?
What is my role as a coach and why do I think that?

Once a philosophical framework has been established, more practical questions should be addressed:

Is my approach appropriate for the athletes?
Is there a better way of doing what I'm doing?
Can I explain and justify my coaching actions and decisions?
How do I ensure that I follow and develop my coaching philosophy?

Conclusion

Developing a coaching philosophy enables coaches the opportunity to identify and clarify what is important to them at the personal level. What needs to be avoided, however, when developing a philosophy, is the superficial adoption of public statements of intent that have little bearing on day to day practice. Lastly, the importance of consistently reviewing and reflecting on your philosophy will help improve your coaching practise.

References

Cassidy, T., Jones, R., & Potrac, P. (Eds.). (2009). Understanding Sports Coaching (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Kretchmar, R. S. (1994). Practical Philosophy of Sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Wilcox, S., & Trudel, P. (1998). Constructing the coaching principles and beliefs of a youth ice hockey coach. Avante, 4, 39-66.