Philosophy comes from the Greek word, philosophia, which literally means “love of wisdom.” Philosophy is everything when it comes to being a track and field coach. I believe that developing a coaching philosophy is essential to becoming a better coach. Developing a set of objectives and beliefs that help you achieve those objects is what leads to being a better coach.
The aphorism, “know thyself”, was the first step in developing my philosophy. I must be at peace with myself before I am able to help any athletes. My philosophy is mine. I feel that each coach should have their own philosophy considering that we are all different people from various walks of life. My experiences in life have helped to develop my coaching philosophy as a guide to deal with a multitude of issues that I face on a daily basis.
My second step was in looking at my self-worth. My self-confidence is not decided by wins and losses. That is something that is not fully under my control. I base it on my view as a competent person. I believe that displaying a level of high self-confidence will help to inspire self confidence in my athletes.
The last step was deciding on my level of openness with the athletes. How much of myself will I share with my athletes? Many coaches are against opening up to their athletes. I am against this line of thinking because it goes against what I consider as a mutually beneficial relationship.
My relationship with my team is somewhat unorthodox. I like to work incredibly hard during practice but I also like to have fun. What is the whole point of any sport if you do not find enjoyment in what you do? I try to challenge my team to think. I don’t believe that “holding their hands” and force feeding them the information is beneficial. They have been in class for seven hours straight. The last thing they want to hear is another boring lecture. I try to create an environment that is fun for both the coach and the athletes. We spend a lot of time with each other so we might as well make it fun. Most of the time I’m relaxed at practice but there are those occasions when I go into drill instructor mode.
I was influenced by my track coaches in high school. They did not just treat us like expendable athletes as I’ve seen other coaches do over the years. Athletes are not objects, nor are they disposable. They are people and students first. They cared about us as people and I believe this is what allowed us to trust them and help us to reach our full potential. They did things with us outside of school that allowed us to understand them as a person.
I believe that the coach/athlete relationship is more of a partnership. It should be a mutually beneficial partnership. Each athlete should have some say in their training. My goal is to empower my athletes so they feel comfortable enough and educated enough to voice concerns or issues with their training. I don’t believe in a “my way or the highway” or a “one size fits all” approach to training. I can tell an athlete to run a certain event or do a certain workout but if they aren’t mentally into or don’t understand it then neither of us benefit. Athletes are not empty vessels waiting to be filled by some coach. My athletes teach me just as much as I teach them.
I believe in self-disclosure. How can I ask you to trust me if I don’t demonstrate trust in you? How can you believe in something you know little about? Just think about this question. Would you trust a person who you know nothing about? No! So it amazes me when coaches expect athletes to trust them when they don’t know them. I’m a huge advocate of being open with my athletes. There are obvious lines that I don’t cross as a coach to keep a professional and appropriate relationship when disclosing information. But I do believe in a certain level of intimacy when it comes to sharing my thoughts and ideas with my athletes. This openness has allowed me to connect on a deeper level with my athletes and we have been more successful as a team because of it.
One of the most difficult things I encounter on a daily basis is getting the girls to focus on performance based results vs. outcome based results. It is much easier to control your performance than it is to control the outcome. In today’s society every person wants to be the best and everything is competition. Competition is good and brings out the best in us but it has to be about more than winning and losing. If it’s only about winning and losing then why run at all? There can only be one winner. I believe it has to be about self-fulfillment. John Wooden stated, “Success is peace of mind, attained only through self-satisfaction and knowing you made the effort to do the best that you are capable.”
I sincerely believe and preach this on a daily basis. I ask for effort more than anything because especially in track you never know what times or placement you are going to get. But I do demand that my athletes give 100% mentally and physically when they are at practice or a race. I know that it is difficult when you look at rankings from other teams or even within your own team but the goal remains on self-improvement. If you can look at yourself in a mirror after a race or workout and know that you gave it everything you had then that is the only thing that truly matters.
I don’t believe in a one size fits all approach. Different athletes need to be treated differently. I think it is nonsense to say that every athlete should be treated the same. I don’t treat a freshman the same way I would treat a senior that has been in the program for four years. More is expected from seniors. I don’t believe that all athletes should be treated the same. I try to give each athlete the treatment she earns and deserves. My athletes may not agree with my all of my decisions but they know that I have the team’s best interest in mind.
My coaching philosophy will continue to grow and change as I continue to coach. It is a lifelong process. I hope that you enjoyed this piece and maybe got something out of it as I disclosed a bit more of myself with you all.