What kind of coach are you?

Your coaching philosophy sets the tone for your team. What you put out there for all to see will determine the reputation of not only you as a person, but the reputation of your whole program. Every coach needs to take a look at themselves and decide what their core values and beliefs are and how they fit with their goals for their athlete/s. I knew when I started coaching I wanted to prove you could have a successful program while at the same time allowing the athletes to have fun.

As parents, we have to decide what type of program we want to be a part of. Do we only want our kids to win? Do we only want them to have fun? Are we proud to wear the team apparel? Do we have to apologize to parents from different organizations for the behavior of our coaches or fans? Do we want to have a voice in the process of our child's athletic development or do we want to be silent? These are all the things we have to decide before we even put our child in a program.

There are generally 3 accepted styles of coaching in all sports. They are autocratic, democratic, and holistic.

Autocratic: "my way or the highway" and win focused with an inflexible training schedule

Coach: You see yourself as the one who controls all aspects of your program with little or no input from others. You do not deviate from your plan to achieve your goal. Your athletes have no say in their training but the rules are clear and they know who is in charge.

Athlete: You probably like your coach most of the time, but may also find you cannot speak with them about your sport or life. If you are younger, then the structure keeps you more on task. There are times you might fear making a mistake because of the negative consequences associated with it. As an older athlete, you are more likely to understand the reasoning behind your coach's methods.

Parent: You are usually either "all in" or "all out" when it comes to this style of coaching. Many parents are okay with the coach controlling all decisions and are fine with any consequence a coach hands out. They tell their kid the coach is in charge and leave it at that. Those that are not okay with the coach being in total control will not last long in this environment. They will either question the coach about everything or stay silent. They will either get kicked off the team for questioning the coach or find an excuse to leave depending on which method they choose.

Democratic: coaches make decisions and goals with input from their athletes; it is athlete centered

Coach: You and your athlete set goals and make a plan to achieve them together. You have the final say, but listen to other ideas first. If something is not working, you may change the strategy along the way.

Athlete: Many of you will do well with this type of coaching. You will feel like you have a say in your plan and you will feel like you have some control over your training. You will have some responsibility in achieving your goals so you need to be up to the task.

Parents: As a parent, I love this style of coaching. I love my kid having a say in what her goals are and how she is going to get there. I also love that the athlete some responsibility in achieving their goal or falling short.

Holistic: theory that a happy team is a successful team; very little structure in training; coach does not act as a central authority

Coach: You are all about having a very comfortable environment.. You believe when the kids are happy everything will fall into place. You believe the kids will develop at their own pace. Your focus is on relationships.

Athlete: You will get very little accomplished if you are a young athlete because there will be little instruction. Older athletes will do well with this if you are self-motivated. This style is helpful for you and your teammates to develop relationships.

Parents: You will like this for your younger kids if you are all about sport being "just for fun." If you are wanting your child to learn more skill development at a young age, this is not the method for you. If you have older athletes, you may see the benefit of them having some lead way to work at their own pace. You believe fun is good but too much fun is a waste of money.

Over the years I have learned there are times when one style is called for over another depending on what the situation is. There will be days when you will need to be more strict and others where you know the kids need some "goof off" time. I believe it is all about balance. The key is keeping your core values at the center of all your decisions as a parent and as a coach.