philosophy

I believe that there is a way in which the profession of coaching should be approached. This is not to say it is the only way that works, but it is the approach that I feel passionate about. It is important that players, coaches, and parents know where I am coming from, and what I value as a teacher. The following is a list of items that make up my philosophy towards coaching athletics.

The Overview:

Quick overview of my Coaching Philosophy

Base Philosophy

Coaching is fun! I believe in creating a sense of excitement, energy and fun around a football program. We will stress working on your attitude and your effort as the two things you can always control. It is not what happens, but how we react to it (the attitude) that decides the outcome. Approaching situations with honesty, integrity and consistency we will generate the sense of trust around the program that is the basis for greatness. We will coach every student as if they were my own sons.

Hold True To Core Values

The most important thing I can teach the young men or women of our athletic teams is to find something that they value as a person, and hold true to that belief. As a team we will hold true to our “Trust and WIN Today” foundation. In everything we do our players will be able to know that it will not compromise the foundations of working hard, individual accountability, and no excuses.

In addition, I believe it is important for the players to know what I value, and thus see me holding true to that value as a model for their lives. My values are split between family and athletics. Players will see my wife and children as a constant fixture around the field house. I want my kids to know the players, and the players to know my kids. My value is in the integration of family and athletics not the separation. This is the only way for me to truly stay balanced as a coach. I believe in truly loving what you do. I want it to be clear to the players that I love what I do as a coach, I love my family, and I love them.

Common Language

I believe it is imperative to have certain concepts of the game defined the exact same way by all staff members. Effective communication is the key to success. Having the same concept defined several different ways defuses the meaning of the concept, rather than reinforcing and confirming the importance of that particular topic. This applies to both definitions and core beliefs.

Finish – Playing each play to the echo of the whistle to the fullest of your ability.

Blitz Route – The route that the QB has the option to go to if he reads blitz.

Hammer – Putting a player on the ground during a particular play.

No Excuses – As part of our Foundations this needs to be echoed by all coaches.

These are just a few examples, but a common vocabulary on certain fundamentals is critical for the ultimate success of teaching and evaluating those fundamentals. It is equally imperative that all coaches are consistently preaching the main concepts in our Foundation and Daily Focus. The only way to drive these points home as the true “Core” of the program is to have all coaches reiterating them whenever they get a chance. We will determine how we want things defined in our program and then we will demand everyone use that definition.

Show Them You Care

“They don’t care how much you know till they know how much you care.”

~ Theodore Roosevelt

As a coach it is important that the players know that you care about them. You have to truly care about them the way in which you care about your own sons and daughters. Once they know that you care they will play for you.

Create a sense of Excitement

It is very clear to me that attitude is contagious. As a coaching staff it is our job to set the tone for the attitude. That all begins with the head coach. Every time we take the field the staff needs to be excited, energetic, and positive about the opportunity we are afforded to work another day with these kids. More often than not the team that shows up the most excited to play each week is the one that wins the game. We need to set that tone with genuine excitement. The young men we work with are intelligent and can see through fake enthusiasm, so it is important for each coach to attack the day with the proper mindset. Attitude is one thing that you can choose every day. If we are attempting to create a winning culture, and we are, then we need to start by adjusting the attitude of the players. Success in athletics is more often about attitude than ability. There are countless examples to show how attitude is the key to success. The attitude on our team will be one of excitement and optimism. Our team will believe it can do anything because our coaches believe they can do anything. Coaches on our staff will be excited and positive.

Be a Great Salesman

Our kids believing and trusting in the direction we are going as a program is dependent on our coaches being great salesman of our message. This applies to our attitude, values, and schemes. In every sport it has been shown that all types of teas can have success. Take the history of football, and how it has shown a great deal of difference in the types of offenses and defenses that can be successful. The University of Wisconsin can win running the ball fifty times a game while Oklahoma State can do the same thing throwing it fifty times a game. The key is that all of the coaches buy in to the decision and then sell it to the kids as the answer. Taking it one step further we need to sell it to the parents and community as well. The young men need to get that same message when they go home and out in the public as well. We need to sell the decisions of our program.

Honest But Positive

One of the foundations that our program is built on is Trust. The quickest way to lose that trust is to be dishonest or lie to the young men. People want to know the truth. Most often young men will respond much better to the truth than to “Blowing Smoke”. Today everyone is so afraid of damaging self-esteem that they are willing to lie to people and fill them full of false hope. Then the first time the young man experiences any adversity they have no idea how to handle it. It is important for our coaches to be honest with players. If they are third string then let them know they are third string right now. If they do not have the speed to play running back then tell them their speed is an issue and that at this time we will need to move them to a different position. However, it is important that the truth be tied with something positive so that the young man still knows his value to the team. This will be our version of “Tough Love”. The athletes in this program will know that we care enough about them to be honest about where they stand, and what they need to do to improve.

Respect the Rituals

A great tool in bringing a group of young men together is the use of rituals. They can be big things such as a stone they touch every day, or little things like a hand gesture that is done after a big block. It is important as a coach to respect the power that these simple little things have in rallying team moral. These are not to be confused with a good luck charm or superstition. A ritual is something that the team does to show unity and respect for their fellow teammates. We are not in the practice of doing things to create individualism. Team rituals are things that unite and bind young men as part of the group not things that isolate and draw individual attention. As a coach you need to be constantly on the lookout for opportunities to create a new ritual. That new ritual, over time, becomes a new tradition. Great traditions are the things that dynasties are built on.

No Excuses

Another portion of our team’s foundation that I feel is imperative to include in my coaching philosophy is the concept of never making excuses. We will not make excuses for anything. We do not care how cold it is, how big our opponent is, if the ref makes a bad call, or if the wind is blowing from the north. We are accountable for our actions. Hard work creates more “Good Luck”, and that eliminates the tendency to lean on excuses. We have the ability to achieve greatness, and there are no excuses for not. As a coaching staff, and as a head coach, it is vital that we take the lead in not allowing excuses to seep into our minds.

Everyone is not Equal

Coaching, just like education, requires differentiated instruction. Each player demands something different to get them to perform. It is important for me as a coach to find what that is and provide that for them. While that is said the biggest discrepancy among players usually comes between your star players and your lesser talented players. Each needs special attention. First off to become a great team you must push your star players harder than the rest of the team. You should not just concede your principles because you know these players will have the greatest impact. These players need to be pushed to go from good to great, and from great to superstar. Becoming more demanding of them is what they need to get them to the next level. They will respond to it and the lesser talented players will respond to them getting pushed as proof of them not getting favored. To be the type of team we intend to be good can not be good enough.

The other end of this is the lesser talented players. This is not referring to the middle of the road kid that makes up 90% of the team. I am referring to the kids that do not get a great deal of playing time. The young men that work hard at practice, but do not show up in the box score on Saturday morning. These players need to be pushed to do whatever they can as well. As long as they have a good attitude and are putting in the effort then they deserve the same respect afforded the star players. Let them know you care, you know they are there, and that you value their commitment to the team. Recognize them in front of their pears for doing a great job. Give them the recognition that they don’t often receive. As a coach we have a huge impact on these kids lives as well. A close locker room is important to a great team, and you never know which young man might be the glue that holds that locker room together. All players contribute in some way it just so happens that some are more on the periphery than others. Let each and every player know in some way that they matter greatly to this team.

It Is My Fault and Your Accomplishment

As a head coach it is important to understand that every positive thing that goes on in your program needs to be credited 100% to the players. With every win all praise needs to go to the young men on the field. Conversely, every loss needs to fall squarely on the shoulders of the head coach. Never throw a player or an assistant coach under the bus for something that happened. There is no problem with calling players and coaches in behind closed doors and discussing some questionable decisions, but to the public it is my responsibility.

Stress Fundamentals

There are no little things. Fundamentals need to get practiced over and over again. As a team we will always stress ball security. We will do at minimum of one drill each and every week to stress the importance of ball security for the entire team. Although the games continues to evolve and get more sophisticated schemes, it still boils down to basics of blocking, tackling, dribbling, shooting, fielding, and hitting. Our basic progression for these fundamental elements can never get over looked. It does not matter what we need to put in each week it will not be at the sacrifice of fundamental work.

Motivation

General Pattons Maxiums

Culture Guide