Home > Tackle > Coaches

COACHES

What is Coaching?
Philosophy of Coaching
Teaching and Learning
Effective Communication Habits for Coaches
Overcoming Athlete Entitlement Issues for Coaches in Athletics (pdf)
Offensive Football Strategies (book)

Football Coaches

What is Coaching?

Coaching is teaching and it involves guiding the discovery of how to perform various skills. Examples of these skills are physical, social, or mental (how to think ahead).

Philosophy of Coaching

A coaching philosophy gives coaches direction for making many of the difficult decisions encountered on a regular basis. The development of a personal coaching philosophy also allows coaches to critically analyse their own values and beliefs. They must formulate a personal philosophy of coaching that takes into account the following fundamental principals:

Participation is voluntary.
Participation should involve healthy competition with a good balance of both educational and recreational experiences.
Participation should be a positive, enjoyable experience.
Participation should contribute to the overall growth and development of the athlete.
Participation should be geared to the overall pursuit of excellence.
Each athlete should have the opportunity to realize their unique potential.

Teaching and Learning

One of the primary goals of coaching is to help participants improve their abilities in their sport. Successful coaches are able to communicate and to manage groups and individuals effectively, and can accomplish both in a way that builds the self-esteem of the participants.
Key elements:

effective communication habits for coaches
the steps of coaching an activity
key points for each step in coaching an activity
self-esteem
creating a participant-centred environment.

Effective Communication Habits for Coaches

ON A PERSONAL LEVEL

Know yourself as a coach and as a person.
Know your predominant communication style and adapt your style to your audience.
Be aware of the importance of nonverbal communication, as others watch you when you are coaching. The participants will observe even your smallest actions. Nonverbal messages represent approximately 80% of all communication. Verbal and nonverbal messages should not conflict (e.g. saying “Let’s take time to get this right” while constantly looking at your watch may send conflicting messages).
Know your typical reactions to situations that commonly occur in your sport (e.g. Do you get agitated or stressed at competitions?).
Seek opportunities to listen to and communicate with others.
Pay attention to and show a genuine interest in those communicating with you.
Accept that over the course of a season you may have to repeat your messages often. It may be necessary to give the same message several times using different words until your point is understood.
Listen actively by ensuring that you fully understand what others may be trying to communicate. Listening actively means that you ask for clarification when needed, and you occasionally restate what you heard to be sure that you have correctly understood the other person (e.g. “When you said ___, did you mean ___, or ____?”, “If I understand you correctly, you are now going to try ____.”)

ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEVEL

Create an environment that is based on trust, patience, tolerance, and empathy.
Choose an environment that is conducive to communication (i.e. quiet, free from distraction, discreet). When circumstances are not favourable for a private conversation, arrange a more appropriate time and location to talk (e.g. after the practice).

ON AN INTERPERSONAL LEVEL

Respect individual differences and characteristics.
Clearly identify your expectations of participants.
Identify how these expectations can be met.
Identify desired attitudes and behaviours (code of ethics, fair play code).
Communicate clear and pertinent messages using words that others can easily understand.
Communicate directly to the intended recipient of your message; do not gossip about a participant. If you have an issue with someone, deal directly with him/her; do not generalize a problem, addressing the entire group when the matter concerns only one or two individuals.
Avoid long speeches to the team or to individuals before or after a competition; aim for brief and specific messages.

Overcoming Athlete Entitlement Issues for Coaches in Athletics (pdf)

Offensive Football Strategies

Offensive Football Strategies is the most comprehensive and detailed book of its kind, containing the most popular and effective offensive philosophies, systems, formations, and plays over the past 40 years.