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Dale Magnuson [email protected] |
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By Dale Magnuson Nothing is as pratical as a well developed philosophy of life and of coaching. My philosophy determines my every thought, every action, and every decision. To explain the term Philosophy, it is the value I put on the way I see situations and experiences in my life. As well as the way I view people and develop relationships with them. I believe that my philosophy will be changing as I grow in my coaching experiences, but for now, it is explained as follows. As a coach you must know who you are. Before you begin writing a philosophy, you must sit down and ask yourself these simple questions:
Coaching, to me, is one of the most rewarding jobs that anyone could have. As a coach, you must wear many different personalities. You have to be everything to everyone, as well as yourself. To begin, you must define a solid foundation. My foundation consists of: Athlete/Personal Development Athletes First, Winning Second Fun is one of the most important aspects of athletics. If athletes are not having fun, they are not enjoying themselves. If they are not enjoying themselves, they are not going to produce and want to be a part of a team. This is not fun for the coach or the athlete, and this could possibly bring the team down. Fun is definitely the most important part of athletics. Athlete/Personal Development is my second most important foundation rule of coaching. My reasoning is that the biggest thing we can take from athletics is life skills. Athletics teaches discipline and dedication. Future employers do not want to hire undedicated and undisciplined people to work for their companies. Athletes First, Winning Second. No, I did not make this phrase up, it is a philosophy that many coaches use. As a coach, you have to realize that athletics is seen as one aspect of a person's life not the whole life. A coach must show an athlete that reaching their potential is seen as success. Leadership style is a very important aspect to coaching. As a coach, your athletes will watch everything you do. If your athletes respect you as their coach, they will follow everything you do and remember it. Most coaches tend to coach in the style that they were coached themselves. You must always ask yourself if you would want other coaches to treat you the same way you treat your athletes. My final point to my philosophy is that I will always try to stay on top of my sport. I will attend as many meetings and seminars that relate to my sport as possible. An athlete will gain respect for you if you show that you are interested in the sport as well as she/he. You must always remember that you are selling yourself to the athlete and everyday is a new day. |
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Dale Magnuson [email protected] |
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