By Collin Fehr
(January 30, 2024)

As any seasoned coach will tell you, a clearly articulated coaching philosophy is essential for sporting success. It operationalizes our core values and serves as a guiding light for our actions as coaches. When thoughtfully composed, the best philosophies contain principles that stand the test of time. As I was working on a project recently, I searched through some files on my computer and stumbled across an early draft of my coaching philosophy, written over ten years ago. It represents the initial rendition of my major coaching tenets, compiled while serving in my first full-time coaching position. Reading it brought back memories and much reflection on the philosophy itself. In short, I felt a desire to formally update my thoughts to more accurately reflect my current perspective. Moreover, I thought it might be helpful to share this process as a model of reflective practice for aspiring coaches. To achieve this, I have included the key sections of my philosophy as originally written. After each section, you will find commentary and rationale for any modifications my current self would suggest. I hope that other coaches might benefit by reading this process in action.

Philosophical Foundation

Original

“Every athlete needs to connect with the reason they do a sport in the first place. Usually, that reason centers around individual enjoyment or fun. If an athlete does not enjoy what they are doing, peak performance is nearly impossible to attain. Therefore, my most basic philosophy is to make sure every athlete is having fun. The athlete who enjoys their sport will inevitably want to continue competing. And that desire for further training will naturally lead to improved performance. But it all begins with personal enjoyment.”

Reflection on Philosophical Foundation

Although I still like the original idea, experience has led me to adopt a different view. Having fun is important, but I think satisfaction is a better aim. Hard things are not usually fun. To perform at the highest level in athletics requires one to do hard things. And when one accomplishes something difficult to attain, it is very satisfying. So, rather than placing fun at the center of my philosophy, I now emphasize meaning and purpose. Fun still has a place, but I have found it to be more impactful when placed in this deeper perspective.

Training Philosophy

Original

“Each individual has different backgrounds and talents. Because of those inherent differences, every athlete has unique training needs. From both research and practical perspectives, no single best approach to training has ever been defined. Consequently, each training season should be viewed as an experiment and a journey. An old quip says: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.” I approach each training block with an open mind to exploration and discovery.”

Reflection on Training Philosophy

This tenet of my philosophy has probably caused me the most difficulty as a coach. Many young competitors think they should train exactly like their favorite professional athletes. Moreover, they have access to seemingly infinite training resources online, each marketed as the best plan for getting the results they seek. It is a lot to wade through and has led to many battles with “Fear of Missing Out (i.e., “FOMO”). In other words, I have struggled to persuade athletes to embark on their training journey because they think they should be doing exactly what someone else is doing. Of course, they should be doing many of the same things. But problems arise when they neglect to factor in the most important ingredient in any training plan: the unique makeup of the athletes themselves! So, as I reflect on this part of my early philosophy, not much has changed in principle. However, I think the key to overcoming these challenges is rooted in the next element of my philosophy.

Coach-Athlete Relationship

Original

“I view my athletes as much more than just performers who are training to compete. Collegiate athletics demands a high level of responsibility from student-athletes and sometimes the stress can feel overwhelming. I encourage open communication about those other important aspects of the athletes’ lives. Sports participation does not define a person; it is only a part of the description of that person. I am most interested in getting to know and earning the trust of the whole person. Once that mutual trust is established, I can better help the athlete achieve their goals by understanding the individual’s thoughts, beliefs, and desires.”

Reflection on Coach-Athlete Relationship

Perhaps I am not as idealistic as my younger self, but I have come to realize that not every athlete wants this type of relationship with their coach. And I have observed this as both a coach and mental performance consultant. One coach I consulted had considerable difficulty getting his athletes to “open up” in a holistic way. In short, his efforts had the opposite effect he was trying to achieve. From my perspective, it reminds me of how many teams describe themselves as a “family.” What if some athletes are not looking for that type of experience as part of their sports participation? What if they just want to play and compete, without all the “touchy-feely” stuff? Furthermore, how can coaches reconcile this while also having athletes who want this experience? It is a hard situation but hopefully not insurmountable. At this point in my life, I think the key is individualizing the coach-athlete relationship. Some athletes will want a more holistic experience and others will not. Our task, as coaches, is to demonstrate how both preferences can be incorporated in a utilitarian way for achieving individual and team goals. Furthermore, this approach will foster mutual trust, a pillar of my original philosophy that remains unchanged.

Peak Performance

Original

“Many athletes obsess about physical training concepts as the vehicle for achieving optimal performance. Ironically, every incredible performance was accomplished not just because of some training feat or physiological variable, but rather an indomitable will. The power of the mind is too often overlooked in sports linked with pure physicality. But the greatest athletes in history credit their success more to their mental prowess than anything else. Because of this reality, I believe a more accurate way to approach peak performance is to understand that if you train the mind, the body will inevitably follow.”

Reflection on Peak Performance

I mostly still agree with this but have a more integrative perspective now. In other words, I do not think mental training and physical training should be compartmentalized. They should be integrated. When one trains their mind, they are training their body, and vice versa. Peak performance does not come from one overriding the other. Rather, it is when they are both tuned to the same “frequency” and fully synchronized. So, if athletes neglect one at the expense of the other, peak performance will not be realized.

Coaching Style

Original

“I recognize that every athlete has their knowledge, skills, and abilities that should be used to help guide training. Because of this awareness, I primarily employ a cooperative style of coaching, which means I regularly involve athletes in developing or altering their training. In a more basic sense, I use an individualized approach through active interaction with my athletes to best meet their needs by allowing them to voice their ideas. These efforts support my philosophical foundation of ensuring the athletes are having fun.”

Reflection on Coaching Style

Reading this reminds me of an insecurity I dealt with as a younger coach. I was afraid to be perceived as an authoritarian. As such, I was too democratic in my approach. This led to slow decision-making at times and interfered with progress. As I have matured as a coach, I try to balance this cooperative style with executive decision-making. Athletes expect their coaches to tell them what to do. Offering them too many choices can create confusion and instill a lack of confidence in the coach. Therefore, finding a balance between “guided discovery” and a more active-directive approach is key.

Athlete Education

Original

“As a coaching professional with a strong academic background, I make a conscious effort to explain the reasons and purposes of everything I ask my athletes to do. Coaching is a platform to teach young athletes important life skills who may someday become coaches themselves. I recognize the influential position I hold, and continually strive to make a positive and lasting impact on all my athletes’ lives.”

Reflection on Athlete Education

It seems appropriate that athlete education is the final component of my philosophy. Especially the idea that we are coaching athletes who may someday become coaches. This notion relates to parenting, teaching, and any other kind of leadership role. Those under our care are more likely to become “who we are than who we want them to become.” I learned this from one of my coaching mentors and it has stuck with me. When we coach athletes, we are training future coaches. They will likely adopt the best parts of our coaching philosophy as their own. As such, it is incumbent upon us coaches to model the ideals we espouse in our athletes. This approach is our most effective teaching tool, especially when used intentionally, and I echo my original sentiment on educating athletes in this way.

Final Thoughts

Reflective practice is not only a way to refine our philosophy but also something that can be embedded as a philosophical principle itself. A coaching philosophy is a “live document,” something to be continually uplifted. Considering this, the final adjustment I would make to my original philosophy would be to incorporate reflective practice as a unifying thread. Doing so will ensure that I continually refine my approach but also amplify this message to the athletes (i.e., future coaches) under my care. Hopefully, in a way that positively impacts the coaching profession in the future.