Through my experiences as a student athlete playing various sports such as soccer, basketball, and baseball, I have played for many different Coaches. By learning numerous positive and negative attributes from the Coaches I have played for, has shaped my philosophy as an aspiring college basketball Coach. I believe there are five aspects of Coaching that should definitely be utilized, when dealing with any type of organization regardless of which sport it is. Knowledge of the sport, motivating your players, management skills, player development, and life values are the five essential aspects of Coaching that are instrumental in shaping my philosophy through my experiences as a high school, prep-school, and collegiate basketball athlete. This article articulates my philosophy and will help explain what coaching should be about.
Knowledge of the sport is very important and is often overlooked by many Coaches especially at the high school level. I have noticed that many high school Coaches lack the essential knowledge needed to coach sports at their particular institution. Many of them are coaching at their respective school merely to collect a check and are not actually knowledgeable of the game, which puts the athlete at a distinct disadvantage. I believe that some schools are looking to fill the coaching job with anyone who will take the job, because sports at many high schools aren't a priority and this mindset needs to change.
Motivating your players is essential because athletes generally feed off of the energy and enthusiasm of the Coach. Energy from the Coach should and can be contagious and directly impacts the energy of his/her players. A Coach should be the person who influences his players to believe they are the best at their particular position. Coaches who show confidence in their players will help them to be confident, when participating on the court or field or any sport arena. Positive feedback is just as important as negative feedback, when dealing with athletes and should be distributed appropriately.
While playing for many different Coaches, I have realized that management skills are probably one the most important aspects of coaching. A Coach must know his/her players! It is imperative that you know which players you can motivate through yelling and being animated, and which players you should talk to privately and comfort. Both of these techniques are crucial and need to be implemented, in order to maximize a players potential. Management skills also involves knowing chemistry meaning, which players work well together, which players to put in the game at the right time, and establishing offensive and defensive schemes that accentuate the skills of your players.
A good Coach knows how to help their players develop his/her skills in their particular sport. As a Coach, you must challenge your players to improve their weaknesses and continue to develop their strengths. Additionally you must dare your players to get out of their comfort zone and do something different which will help them improve. As with many things experienced in life, sports are about progression and esteem development, so it is important for the Coach to give his/her athletes the best possible opportunities to become better at their craft.
The most important thing that every Coach should know is that athletics are only temporary after all it is a game and life skills are far more important! You must teach your players life skills. These skills will go well beyond any skill that you can ever teach them as an athlete. A good Coach preaches and teaches education and other life values through sports. Of course every Coach wants to win and get the best out of their players, but there is more to life besides sports. You must prepare these athletes to be great people and law abiding citizens, who will contribute to society. The ball eventually will stop bouncing for all of us and it is important for a Coach to teach his/her players to become great men and women of character and instill life values in them. These values and qualities that a good Coach instills in his/her athletes will go way beyond any three point shot, touch down, or home-run can take them.
I have shared the five most important aspects of coaching that every Coach should know and I hope that I have given you some insight as to how to conduct your athletic program. Every coach needs to have knowledge of their particular sport, be able to motivate your student athletes, know your players by having good management skills, know how to develop your players, and most importantly instill life values that they will hold onto for a life time. Thank you for reading this article and I hope you incorporate some of these qualities into your philosophy.
Donovan Smalls II
The College of New Jersey
Hello my name is Donovan Smalls II and I am currently a student-athlete at The College of New Jersey. I am a Health and Exercise Science Teaching major and what inspired me to write this article are my experiences as an athlete and my aspirations of being a College Basketball Coach. Through my experiences as an athlete playing for various different coaches, I wanted to share some of my knowledge and experiences that would further allow me to learn more about the field of coaching and help others as well.
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