COACHING PHILOSOPHY

Many coaches do not recognize the importance of their approach to coaching and its effect upon the athletes on their team. Becoming a successful volleyball coach takes time and effort. Coaching an interscholastic athletic team is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. Coaches are expected to prepare in advance, learn the basic skills of the game, and care for the personal growth of each player regardless of the individual's skill or ability. Therefore, coaches should think about developing their coaching philosophy prior to meeting with the athletes.

To develop a coaching philosophy, a coach should know the developmental principles of the age group, the local school system's philosophy, aim, and objectives of its interscholastic athletic program, the athletes' desired outcome from participation, and his own coaching objectives. While the psychology and evaluation of human performance is complex, the important developmental principles which must be considered by every junior high volleyball coach are as follows:

Coaches should teach the basic movements that develop hand-eye, arm-eye, and body coordination.
At first, players should not specialize by position. Junior high athletics are an introduction to team sports, so participation and mastery of all skills is the priority. Once a team is selected, specialization by position can occur.
Junior high age athletes may be accident prone because of their lack of mobility and coordination.
Players are interested in organized games but not in complicated game rules.

As a coach develops his personal philosophy towards athletics, he should make sure that it agrees with the local school system's philosophy, aim, and objectives of interscholastic athletics. The following statements of philosophy, aim and objectives of interscholastic athletics are general and could be found in any school district's athletic handbook.

PHILOSOPHY

A program of interscholastic athletics is a relevant part of the total program of instruction of the city schools. The very fact that it is a significant part of the total instructional program requires careful attention to matters of instruction, emphasis and scope. Specifically, the aims of such a program are:

to develop as fully as possible the health and welfare of all students
to provide advanced training beyond that taught in physical education classes and intramural activities
to instruct the new skills necessary for achieving the highest possible level of accomplishment within the context of the total school program
to instill attitudes of sportsmanship, discipline, healthy competition, and school spirit
to teach health habits necessary for proper physical development and athletic participation
to provide adequate athletic programs and facilities for boys and girls

AIM

For the player, interscholastic competition offers increased opportunity for improving player skills, developing and increasing physical vigor, promoting true and lasting friendships, and learning that the rules of play are similar to the rules of everyday living.

For the student body, the interscholastic athletic program provides a fine foundation for the development of good school morale, for being sportsmanlike hosts, and for exercising the qualities of fair play and courtesy.

For the community, interscholastic athletics provides a fine school-community relationship, creating for the community a program of education and entertainment through athletics.

The objectives for an interscholastic program could include the following:

To meet the needs and interests of those students who are gifted athletically.
To meet the urge for competition which is basic in the American tradition and to develop the will to excel.
To develop each participant's knowledge and use of the fundamental skills needed to participate in her given sport.
To develop good community relationships and attitudes toward athletics.
To teach habits of health, safety, cleanliness, and physical fitness.
To develop each participant's moral, social, and spiritual values.
To provide opportunities to exemplify and observe good sportsmanship, which is good citizenship.
To stress and encourage always the importance of good sportsmanship.
To provide opportunities to make lasting friendships with teammates and opponents.
To give all students the opportunity to become members of a team.
To teach that a penalty follows a rule violation.
To give a student an early understanding that participation in athletics is a privilege which carries responsibilities.

Coaches should support a philosophy of athletes first, safety second, and winning third. Upholding this philosophy means that every decision a coach makes is based upon first, what is safe and best for the athletes and secondly, what may improve the athlete's or team's chance of winning. Such a philosophy does not suggest that winning is unimportant. Winning is fun and exciting if it is kept in perspective. Coaches who expect junior high athletes to perform like professional athletes and who value winning above all costs lead to an acceptance of cheating and a view of the other team as the enemy. Striving to win is essential for enjoyable competition. Until the coach instills this desire, he will be cheating his athletes out of the enjoyment and development athletics can bring to young, personable people.

The coach who is committed to his program and athletes must be alert to student motives for participation. While students may participate for a number of personal reasons, some may be only distantly related to the accepted objectives of the coach. Junior high age students participate in competitive athletics for the general purposes listed below:

Enjoyment of activity or of the specific activity.
Social opportunities and comradeship with friends.
Personal satisfaction (some socially desirable, some less desirable.)

Glory, status, recognition
Outlet for aggression not permitted in many other activities in society
Need and desire to master skills. The need to succeed; to complete something at a high level of effectiveness; ambition to accomplish
desire for attention of adult (teacher, coach, parent, etc.)
Encouragement by friends or adults.

How attitudes develop and spread is an interest of critical concern for all coaches. Suffice it to say that the attitudes of the athlete's peer group are extremely important to most junior high age students. The coach must be a strong enough leader to create positive attitudes and a socially desirable climate in a competitive activity. Finally, as the coach prepares his philosophy, he should remember the following essential elements of a good competitive sports philosophy when coaching junior high athletes:

Know your motives for coaching.
Make your own education a priority.
Work with every player on your team.
Work on basic skills.
Demonstrate the importance of fitness habits.
Use positive reinforcement.
Teach fair play.
Emphasize both learning skills and sportsmanship.
Help players set and evaluate individual goals.
Keep winning in perspective.
Encourage lifetime involvement in sports.
Work with the whole person.
Make sure equipment and facilities meet safety standards.
Encourage skilled volunteer leadership by all participants.