Coaching Philosophy

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Joey Gass Coaching Philosophy

FOUR KEY COMPONENTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL TEAM UNDER MY COMMAND
1. Have FUN!
It could be the team bonding, the exercise, the skills, or winning that gives athletes that enjoyment factor, but I
require that my athletes must have fun! Sports were designed for the sole purpose of being enjoyable for the athletes
as well as the fans who participate in and observe the positivity that results from competition to win a match
between opposing competitors. I believe if you dont have fun on a team or playing your sport you shouldnt play it,
because the main motivation to get better and give the effort that is needed to succeed and improve as a team should
come from the enjoyment of the athletes.

2. RESPECT your Teammates

The best way to train athletes for life after sport is to instill values such as RESPECT for others. When teammates
respect each other they will become better teammates and better future employees. In addition, they will give more
effort to be a better team because the goals shift from personal success to team success for everyone involved as a
result of the respect they have for each other. Respect for the game as well as a respect for each other gives a team a
competitive advantage for success.

3. Make a COMMITMENT
A whole is the sum of all its parts. A team is the sum of all of its players, and in order to get the greatest output from
a team all of the players on the team must have the same goals in mind. I require that all of the athletes on my team
make a commitment to each other to give their very best effort and focus. It is not fair to those who care so much
about the team and their teammates for only a select few to lead the team. A team is only as strong as its weakest
link. The entire team must be on the same page in order to reach its full potential of success.

4. Hold each other ACCOUNTABLE

I, as the coach, can give my players all the information they need to come together as a group and how to succeed in
competition. I can ask for everyones best effort as the coach, but the best way to get the most out of a team is to
have the players get the most out of each other. Some athletes may play their best and behave appropriately when
the coach asks them to, but when the members of the team demand 100% from everyone by holding each other
accountable there is a greater respect amongst peers and teammates that surpasses even the respect of the coach.
When teammates boost each other up to be the best they can be for their brothers or sisters on the team is greater
motivation to succeed than demands straight from the coach.

CONCEPT
As a coach, it is my responsibility to make sure the athletes on my team enjoy what they do,
by creating an open and exciting team environment. A team will be most successful when I
am not the one that demands the best out of the athletes. A team will work much better
when the effort is expected and demanded by the teammates on the team. By teaching my
athletes to respect each other, the hard working team environment will be self-sustained by
the athletes on the team. This will allow me to spend my time coaching the players on how
to play the game instead of having to deal with behavioral problems that arise from
uncontrollable players on a team. The players will hold each other accountable to be the
best they can be for each other. Athletes that dont adhere to the team structure will quit
because the team doesnt want them or I will cut those type of players that destroy team
chemistry is necessary to be as successful of a team as possible. The team comes before self.

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Being a coach is more than just teaching athletes how to play their sport. Its more than
going over the Xs and Os. Its bigger than just a game-plan or buying equipment or yelling at
players who make mistakes. Being a coach entails more than just coaching. Coaches are mentors,
teachers, examples, and parents away from home. So many athletes will tell you that they learn
most of their life lessons through sport, being taught how to act by their coach. There are so
many people out there that believe coaching is an easy job and all they have to do is call plays
and yell at players. Even some coaches (bad coaches) believe this is true. Nevertheless, great
coaches understand that these responsibilities to their players are very real and important duties
that a coach must embrace to win.
Winning is the successful product after completing a process. Winning is done on and off
the field, and the greatest coaches understand that they must prepare their athletes to win on the
field, in the classroom, on the job, at home, and in every aspect of life. Coaches who fail to
approach their athletes about what is right and wrong on and off the field are missing a very
important aspect of coaching that is ignored due to the competitive nature of so many. Hardman
and Jones state, It may be, and often is, the case in modern professional sport that players view
contentment in winning whatever the means employ, but such persons cannot also claim to have
disclosed good qualities of character in the form of those virtues such as honesty, justice, and
courage. (Hardman & Jones, 2011, pg. 74-75)
Ethics are the utmost important set of rules a coach should abide by! So many coaches
get caught up in the competition and will compromise the values to win. This win at all cost
mentality has gone viral in the sports world and is ruining the moral base of the youth of this
generation. So many coaches, athletic directors, and boosters are consumed with thought of
winning. Winning is the top priority and because of this epidemic moral compass is being thrown

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out the window because everyone else is doing this too has made people feel as though they can
compromise rules. The rule breaking doesnt stop at just minor infractions, its an exponential
drift away from proper coaching morals. Sports have become a bad example for athletes when in
the hands of coaches who are willing to abandon moral values and teach players to do whatever
it takes to win, with no regard for the values of society. I disagree with the abandonment of
traditional sports ethics.
As a coach, I want to be best known for producing young men of value and valor. I want
to be mentioned with descriptions such as mentor, leader, friend, helper, teacher, and even
winner. I believe that teams can win without compromising the values that should be taught and
used in sport. I strive to be a great coach in multiple facets. The coach, as a central cog in the
sports environment, has moral responsibilities reaching far beyond the purely technical and
tactical. (Jones et al. 2004; Jones 2007 as cited in Hardman & Jones, p. 72) My primary goal is
to be a leader that has high moral standards and puts the benefit of character in my athletes above
the goals of winning in competition, which can often corrupt good character. Although I strive to
put character over winning, I still intend to be a very skilled coach that can develop game-plans
and teach tactics effective enough to win, without compromising ethics.
Sports are a great avenue to teach life lessons as a coach. My job is not only to prepare
the athletes on my team to succeed on the court or the field; the bigger responsibility is to
prepare my players to succeed in life outside of the sport. I believe the best way to train them for
life is to instill values such as respect for others. When players on a team learn to respect each
other they will become better teammates, better people, and better future employees when they
get older and enter the workforce. In addition, these athletes will give more effort to be a better
team because the goals shift from personal success to success for everyone involved on the team,

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as a result of the respect they have for each other. Respect for the coach, for the game, as well as
a respect for each other gives a team a competitive advantage for success. I think it is extremely
important to have the respect of the players. Dean Smith (Janssen & Dale 2002, pg. 18)
Reading the Seven Secrets of Successful Coaches has been a great tool because it gives
insight into the thoughts and philosophies of great coaches. The great coaches approach the way
they interact with their players on a more personal level than most would expect. Like all great
relationships, coach and player must have respect for each other in order to have a smooth
operation as a team unit. Using the ideas and approaches of the great coaches is the best way to
get started on the path to being a successful coach and being a great leader of a team.
John Wooden once said, There is little difference in technical knowledge about the game
of basketball among the most experienced coaches. However, there is a vast difference between
leaders in the ability to teach and motivate those under their supervision. You must have the more
elusive ability to teach and to motivate. This defines a leader; if you cant teach and you cant
motivate, you cant lead. (Janssen & Dale 2002, pg. 10) I dont consider myself as a coach with
many weaknesses, but I do have at least one and probably more. Motivating those around me is
my greatest weakness as a leader. I struggle to find the words to say or the stories to tell to
motivate others to give their best. My greatest asset as the coach of a team is the ability to
realize my weaknesses and strategize around those flaws. As a result, I have developed a plan to
use my teaching ability to set up the team structure necessary for the players on the team to
become the leaders amongst themselves. This ability helps me overcome my lack of motivational
input and I believe that this is a more effective way to get the most out of athletes. Using the
often misused tactic of peer pressure as a tool to bring young athletes together to motivate each
other. Turning my weakness into a strength of innovation in motivation.

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I, as the coach, can give my players all the information they need to come together as a
group and how to succeed in competition. I can ask for everyones best effort as the coach, but
the best way to unleash the full potential of a team is to have the players demand the most out of
each other. Some athletes may play their best and behave appropriately when the coach asks
them to, but when the members of the team demand 100% from everyone by holding each other
accountable there is a greater respect amongst peers and teammates that surpasses even the
respect of the coach. When teammates boost each other up to be the best they can be for their
brothers or sisters on the team, it is a greater motivation to succeed than demands strait from the
coach.
As a coach, it is my responsibility to make sure the athletes on my team enjoy what they
do by creating an open and exciting team environment. A team will be most successful when I
am not the only one that demands the best out of the athletes. A team will work much better
when the effort is expected and demanded by the teammates on the team. By teaching my
athletes to respect each other the hard working team environment will be self-sustained by the
athletes on the team and allows me to spend my time coaching the players on how to play the
game instead of having to deal with behavioral problems that arise from uncontrollable players
on a team. The players will hold each other accountable to be the best they can be for each other.
Athletes that do not adhere to the team structure will quit because the team does not want them
or I will cut those type of players that destroy team chemistry that is necessary to be as
successful of a team as possible. The team comes before self.

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References
Hardman, A. R., & Jones, C. (2011). The ethics of sports coaching. Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxon: Routledge.
Janssen, J., & Dale, G. A. (2002). The seven secrets of successful coaches: How to unlock and
unleash your team's full potential. Cary, NC: Winning The Mental Game.