Philosophy of Coaching

Philosophy Lesson

What is philosophy? It is the study of thought and nature. There are great philosophers over time, Plato, Shaw, Camus and yourself! Yes, you have a philosophy and are starting to develop it.

For more on what kind of a person makes a good basketball coach I recommend these people and books to read. Anything by John Wooden, Dean Smith, Pete Newell, Bob Knight and Pat Summitt. These are the heavyweights of coaching, but more importantly, they have set the foundation that many other styles of coaching are based upon. Understanding what these coaches say will aid in your development. Don't try to be another Wooden, but take something from his teaching and add it to you.

What Makes a Good Coach?

Being a great player does not make a coach. Either does being an average player make a poor coach. The ability to understand people, to get the most out of players and to be organized is what helps make a great coach. Wins and losses do not make a great coach either. Is the losing coach in a championship game a worse coach than the winner?

A coaching philosophy takes years to develop. It start when you first organize a pickup game or help some young player with a drill or just watch a game as a coach. Your philosophy grows as you learn more about the game and gain experience coaching games.

The Coach's Philosophy

The coach selects the offense and defense to use for the team. Plan practices around that offense and defense. If zone defense is going to be used, then practice zone defensive principles. Develop a style of play. Fastbreak fast paced, controlled or mixture are ways to play. Pick one based on your personnel.

Then you develop a practice philosophy. How are practices going to be run? Are we going to be long or short in time? Are we going to time drills? Organize your practice based on these principles. More on practice organization.

Develop a game philosophy. How are you going to sub? Time out strategy, how you act during the game, pre and post game activities are all part of the game philosophy. So coaches like to stand, some are not allowed. Some like to save time-outs no matter what. Some plan out pregame warmups others let the players decide. All of these principles are part of the game philosophy.

The Game

The way your team functions is a direct reflection on your philosophy. Are you going to shoot the 3? Are you going to run from a set offense? These are decisions you made early in the year and have worked on the concepts over time. Your team will play the way they practiced.

Motivation is part of philosophy. Are you a yeller or a talker? Are you going to jump up and down or sit and watch? Are you going to pat on the back or get in the face of players? All have worked but you must remain consistent of the years. Usually as a coach get more experience, the yelling starts to fade and the coach becomes more reflective. More on game coaching and style of play in Chapter 10.

Discipline

How you handle trouble and rules violations can depend on the school. Some schools have their own codes for rules, I suggest that the coach develop a stricter set. Be in control of your team the way you want. How will you handle a player that breaks a rule? Run them or suspend them? Are you willing to treat a starter the same way as the last player in the game?

Coach - Player Relationship

The relationship you develop with your players is very important. One to one conferences with each player before, during, and after the season will help develop a camaraderie with your players and foster good teamwork. Discuss your player's game, strengths and weaknesses and outside influences. Over time your players will trust you and you almost become a second parent. It can be a great responsibilities.