Identifying Your Coaching Philosophy
Your coaching philosophy is simply the way you see situations and experiences and the value you give them. To answer the first question — Why am I coaching? — we first need to define what coaching is. Simply, coaching is helping an athlete prepare, develop and improve their sport performance. Coaching involves teaching, training, instructing and more which impacts many areas of an individual's life.
To be a coach is both an honor and privilege. Athletes meet sport at the place where the coach presents it to them. The coach can be the architect and definer of an athlete's sport experience. To be a successful coach, you have to be well prepared to provide exciting, positive, enriching, encouraging and meaningful experiences to athletes.
So, how do you feel about yourself? The following exercise contains statements that have been used to describe successful coaches. Take a moment and complete this exercise. Select the rating you think your athletes would choose to describe you, not what you would like for them to choose. Mark those areas where you think you need improvement.
Coaching Assets Self Evaluation
(IAAF, Introduction to Coaching Theory, 1991)
| Coaching Assets |
Low |
Average |
High |
Areas of
Improvement |
| Knowledge of Your Sport |
| Well Organized |
| Honest |
| Professional Appearance |
| Qualified |
| Enthusiastic |
| Hard Worker |
| Punctual |
| Consistent |
| Understanding |
| Good Listener |
| Provides Individual Help |
| Builds Athletes' Confidence |
| Motivates |
| Good Teacher |
| Encourages |
| Praises Effort |
| Respects Athletes |
| Patient with Athletes |
| Sense of Humor |
There are many factors that may define your philosophy. There are layers of people who are directly or indirectly involved and may have a different sport philosophy. Your success as a coach will depend more on your coaching philosophy than on any other factor.
Coaches must understand that the Special Olympics philosophy, their own coaching philosophy and the philosophies of everyone involved play important roles in the success of their programs. Before you begin to coach and as you continue, ask yourself these important questions so that you do not lose sight of why you are a successful coach.
- What am I trying to achieve for myself?
- What do I want to achieve with my athletes?
- What is my coaching style?
- What is my motivation for coaching?
