What is A Coaching Philosophy?
Summary: A coaching philosophy provides youth coaches with a clear framework for decision-making, teaching, and team management. Shaped by personal knowledge and experience, it guides how skills are taught, success is measured, conflicts are handled, and communication with players and parents is managed.
Coaches often begin their youth coaching career without a coaching philosophy. But it’s a good idea to have one in place. Generally, coaches’ philosophies are based on their knowledge, experiences and beliefs. These serve as a guide to helping coaches make decisions.
Why are coaching philosophies important?
Coaches’ philosophies are the foundation for everything they do. Their philosophies determine how they teach skills, what the team rules are and how to deal with parents and team conflicts.
A coach’s philosophy often remains consistent through the years. To develop a coaching philosophy, coaches should ask themselves the following questions:
- Why did you choose to coach?
- What kind of coach do you want to be?
- What are your priorities?
- What is your teaching style?
Coaches should keep in mind that their philosophy should be appropriate to the age group they are working with. For example, young children and high school kids learn differently and therefore need to be taught differently.
A Coaching Philosophy Should Address the Following:
Teaching style. Coaches need to think about how skills should be taught. How should skills be broken down and explained in practice?
Coaches should also take into account their athletes’ learning styles. Athletes have three dominant styles of learning: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) or kinesthetic (feeling.) Athletes may learn better by seeing the skill demonstrated, or by listening to a description of how the skill should be performed. Kinesthetic learners need to try performing the skill themselves.
1.Measure of success
Your philosophy should address how you measure success. Coaches can measure success in a number of ways, including: statistics (for example, number of blocks per game,) end results (winning or losing) or by individual and team improvement (for example, performing better on the offense — defense transition.)
Coaches may opt to define success differently for older and younger players. For example, it may be more appropriate to define success for younger athletes as improving or mastering skills. For older–high school–athletes, end results would likely be more important. For example, coaches might measure elite athletes’ success by looking at their statistics.
2.Communication
Find out what type of communication will work best with the team you are working with. How should you balance criticism and praise? How should you approach athletes when they make a mistake?
Coaches should have an open door policy with parents to prevent conflicts. They can communicate their coaching philosophy at a parent- athlete meeting so that both parties know what to expect in the upcoming season.
3.Practice and game organization
How will you organize practices? What are your routines or rituals before games? How will you decide on playing time? Coaches can think about these questions to help develop their coaching philosophy.
Coaching philosophies are unique to each individual. Use the tips above to create a philosophy that best suits you and your style.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Leave Coaching your Athletes to the Coach
- The Top Dangers of Sideline Coaching
- How Toxic Sports Cultures Hurt Kids’ Mental Health
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FAQ: Developing a Coaching Philosophy
Q: What is a coaching philosophy?
A: A coaching philosophy is a personal framework that guides how a coach teaches, communicates, and manages their team based on knowledge, experiences, and values.
Q: Why is having a coaching philosophy important?
A: It provides consistency in decision-making, sets clear expectations for athletes and parents, and helps create a positive team environment.
Q: What should a coaching philosophy include?
A: It should address teaching style, methods for measuring success, communication strategies, and how practices and games are organized.
Q: How do coaches measure success?
A: Success can be defined by skill improvement, team development, statistics, or win-loss records—depending on the athletes’ age and level of play.
Q: How can coaches adapt to athletes’ needs?
A: By recognizing different learning styles—visual, auditory, or kinesthetic—and adjusting teaching methods to help athletes learn more effectively.
Q: Should a coaching philosophy change over time?
A: While core values often stay the same, philosophies may evolve as coaches gain experience, work with different age groups, or adjust to new challenges.
Kids Sports Psychology expert Patrick Cohn, Ph.D. has helped athletes for over 35 years to enhance their performance. Dr. Cohn earned a master’s degree in sports psychology from CSUF and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, specializing in Applied Sports Psychology. Today, he is the president and founder of Peak Performance Sports, LLC in Orlando, Florida.
I want to become a coach to stay with the sports i love. I would like to be a Basketball and football and potentially baseball coach. I want to help players improve and experience the fun in sports. I am laid back coach but will expect players to try there best.