It’s not what you tell them — It’s what they hear
(Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics Coach)
Believe it or not, it is not what you say that is important!
I love that quote.
As trainers and coaches we need to be constantly evaluating our communication.
Communication can take many form but it’s importance can not be underestimated, in fact Communication is a key element in my coaching philosophy.
What is your coaching philosophy?
My Personal Coaching Philosophy can be expressed in the following 10 points.
These are the aspects that underpin what I believe is important and what I believe contributes to a successful program or coach athlete relationship and can be applied to a personal training business as well as a coaching role.
POSITIVE – Be positive at all times, even when things are not going your way it is important to look for the reasons why but to always remain positive
HONEST – Be honest with yourself and with others at all times
ACCOUNTABILITY – Being accountable and responsible for your own actions, both for athlete and coach
SYSTEMS – System for all aspects of training and coaching. Systems enable you to maintain the consistency of your program. System for recording all aspects of training, training loads, recovery, injury management data and team goals and structure.
CONSTANT LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT – Being open minded and willing to learn from a wide variety of sources. Seek professional and personal development being willing learn and share from other coaches and learn form your own experience and the experiences of others. Not only develop yourself but those around you, staff and athletes.
RESPECT – Respect is given and expected from others. Respect individual differences of team members, their athletic development, physical attributes and mental/psychological development and maturity.
ROLE MODEL – Be a role model to others both athletes and coaches, don’t wait for someone else to set the standards, you set and achieve high standards and others will follow.
TEAM CULTURE – A culture where everyone supports and challenges each other for the benefit of the group. Where everyone celebrates the success of others and is willing to help each other out to achieve both individual and team goals
CLEAR EXPECTATIONS & VISION – An overall team goal and vision for the team needs to be clear so everyone know what we are working for. After this Vision is established, each team member needs to have clear expectations of what is required from them to achieve the ultimate team vision.
COMMUNICATION & LEARNING STYLES – As coach you need to understand how your athlete’s best learn and what style of communication is needed for each situation.
I would recommend you take some time today to think about your communication and coaching philosophy.
