Chapter 1

Summary

This opening chapter explains the value of a well-developed coaching philosophy. Reasons that a philosophy is important to coaching success and factors that should be considered in developing a coaching philosophy are discussed. A philosophy consists of major objectives and beliefs or principles that help you achieve your objectives. The chapter cites examples of key aspects of successful coaches’ philosophies and explores the important relationship between life philosophy and coaching philosophy.

Three concepts of self are presented as essential ingredients in helping formulate a coaching philosophy: self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-disclosure. Self-awareness is described as knowing who you are. The importance of reflecting on your own beliefs and assumptions, getting feedback from others, and understanding the relationships among your ideal self, public self, and real self are suggested as means for increasing self-awareness. Self-esteem is defined as your inner conviction about your competency and worth as a human being. Communicating positive self-esteem and confidence to athletes helps them develop their own confidence. Self-disclosure is the third factor identified as essential to developing a coaching philosophy. The significance of self-disclosure is made evident through coaches’ statements and discussion of building relationships based on trust and honesty. The relevance to a coach’s relationship and appropriateness to the situation are significant considerations in determining what a coach should disclose to athletes.

Coaches are reminded that the most important ingredient of their philosophy is that they own it and that their philosophy is not expressed by what they say, but by what they do.

Chapter 1

Lecture Outline

  1. Why philosophy?
    1. Reasons to have a well-developed coaching philosophy
    2. The story of an old man, a boy, and a donkey
  2. Developing your philosophy
    1. Components of a philosophy
      1. Major objectives
      2. Your beliefs or principles that help you achieve your objectives
    2. How life events can affect your coaching philosophy (see figure 1.1, p. 6)
    3. John Wooden’s philosophy of coaching: emphasis on teaching and performing
    4. How your philosophy of life should shape your philosophy of coaching
  3. Self-awareness
    1. Knowing who you are in order to help your athletes know who they are
    2. Why your athletes are much more likely to become what you are than what you want them to be
    3. Ways to increase self-awareness
      1. Reflecting on your own beliefs and assumptions
      2. Requesting feedback from other people on how they see you and how they react to you
      3. “Who Am I?” questions for thought and reflection on p. 9
    4. The three selves
      1. The ideal self
      2. The public self
      3. The real self
    5. Knowing your three selves (see table 1.1, p. 11)
      1. Rate yourself and review
      2. Remembering that others only know your public self
  4. Self-esteem
    1. Your inner conviction about your competency and worth as a human being
    2. Consequences of basing your self-esteem on winning and losing
    3. Using confidence to develop confidence in those around you
    4. The effect of how we relate to ourselves on how we relate to others
  5. Self-disclosure
    1. The significance of self-disclosure
      1. What Olympic basketball coach Tara VanDerveer learned from assistants
      2. Athletic director and football coach Jim Bouche’s philosophy
    2. Keeping self-disclosure relevant to your relationship and appropriate to the situation
  6. Conclusion
    1. Philosophy is a key to pursuing your career as a coach.
    2. Learn about yourself and think about important issues to guide your actions.
    3. Appropriate self-disclosure to athletes helps establish trusting relationships.
    4. Sharing your philosophy helps athletes develop their own philosophies.
    5. The most important ingredient of a philosophy is that you own it.
    6. A philosophy is not expressed by what you say, but by what you do.

Chapter 1

Activities

  1. In your introductory discussion for the course, ask students to provide you with ideas for completing the following lists:

    2. Record students’ responses so that the entire class can see these lists. Next, ask students to identify which items are related to a coach having a well-developed philosophy. Also, point out that various coaching roles, characteristics, and problems related to various aspects of coaching will be included in readings and discussions throughout the course.

  2. Conduct a class discussion on life and coaching philosophies. Start by asking students to identify beliefs and principles that they would consider including in their philosophy of life. Next, ask them to identify beliefs and principles for a coaching philosophy. Compare these lists. Does there appear to be a strong connection between ideas on the life and coaching lists or do some appear to be in conflict with one another? Discuss reasons for agreement and inconsistency between life and coaching philosophies. Are students able to recognize the importance of the connection between them?
  3. Ask students to review the quotes of John Wooden (p. 7), Tara VanDerveer (p. 13), and Jim Bouche (p. 14). In your class discussion, prompt students to answer the following questions about these quotes:
  4. Lead a class discussion on the following two guidelines proposed in the conclusion of this chapter:

    5. Ask students to consider the process of learning beliefs and principles from others (including their parents, instructors, and coaches) and making decisions about which to adopt for their own coaching philosophy. How should these decisions be made? Discuss the importance of communicating one's coaching philosophy through actions, not just words.

Chapter 1

Topics

  1. Read and think about the Who Am I? questions (p. 9). These questions are personal, so you are not required to share your responses with your instructor or classmates. Write an essay that addresses the following questions:

    2. (This assignment may serve as a starting point for prompting students to think about their own coaching philosophy.)

  2. Write an essay about your favorite coach, explaining what it was about that coach that caused you to select her or him. You may select a coach for whom you have competed or the coach you most admire.

    3. (This assignment may serve as a basis for class discussion about the qualities of a successful coach.)

  3. Follow the instructions for completing table 1.1 Knowing Your Three Selves (p. 11). Next, share your responses with a friend and write a one-page report on what you learned from completing the ratings and from your friend’s reaction, discussing discrepancies among your own perception of the three selves and discrepancies between your own view of yourself and your friend’s view of you.
  4. Write a one-page essay titled What to Consider in Constructing a Coaching Philosophy. In this essay, discuss factors that you think are important for people entering the coaching profession to think about. What aspects of life and sport should these new coaches consider in deciding what beliefs and principles they will include in their coaching philosophy?
  5. Interview a high school coach and ask about his or her coaching philosophy. How did the coach develop this philosophy of coaching? Can he or she identify important people or events that influenced this perspective on coaching? What does he or she consider to be the important principles guiding his or her coaching? Write an essay that describes the coach’s answers to these questions and your impression of the coach’s philosophy.

Chapter 1

Speakers

  1. Invite a philosophy expert to your class. This speaker may be a humanities or philosophy instructor or someone who teaches philosophy of sport and physical activity. Topics for the speaker to address may include an overview of the history and development of important philosophical schools of thought, ideas and stories related to connecting philosophy with real-life roles (like coaching), and examples of people applying philosophical principles to their lives. It may be particularly meaningful to students if your speaker can use examples involving historical figures or well-known contemporary people.
  2. You may know a successful coach that you think has a well-developed philosophy of coaching. This coach may speak to your class about the importance of having a coaching philosophy, how it has helped the coach become successful, important elements of this philosophy, and how this philosophy may have changed during his or her coaching career.
  3. Put together a panel of coaches to come to your class and answer students’ questions about their coaching philosophies. Before the coaches’ panel session, guide students in formulating questions based on concepts presented in chapter 1. This is a good opportunity for students to think in more depth about these concepts and to hear about how coaches think about and apply their coaching philosophies in working with athletes.

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