Justin Diehl

24 February 2019

Coaching Philosophy

Sports in today’s society have become extremely competition-based and coaches tend

to lose focus of what is really important, and that’s the athletes well-being. I believe that as

coaches we have a duty to our athletes not only to try to help them improve on the field as

competitors but also off the field as people. Sports provide a lot of opportunities for life

lessons, and I believe that coaches should use those opportunities to try to teach their athletes

these lessons. As a competitor myself, I do believe winning is important, and I want to win just

as bad as anyone else does, just as any coach should, but I don’t necessarily believe that it

should be the only thing that coaches care about. If a coach can help better their athletes’ lives,

even in the smallest ways, then that’s a victory in itself. In my opinion, the athlete comes first,

then winning. Without the athlete there is no winning and the more respect a coach gives their

athletes the more they’ll receive in return, which is a big part of creating a winning atmosphere

within any sport program. A coach can’t be effective if their players don’t respect me.

Sportsmanship is an important thing that athletes need to learn; as coaches it’s our duty

to instill this in our athletes. Sportsmanship doesn’t just apply on the field or court, it’s a

mentality that can be applied everyday in our lives. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on a

project with peers in college, working with colleagues at work, or just playing a pick-up game of

basketball, sportsmanship isn’t just a sports term, it means learning to work well with others

and it means being a kind person in all aspect of our lives.

 Fostering a program that emphasizes sportsmanship over winning is how I intend to run

my teams. Players need to have respect for their teammates, the sport, their coaches, and

especially themselves before they can truly be successful on the field/court and that same

mentality can be applied to their own lives outside the sport, in their jobs, their classes, and

their personal lives, whatever it may be. Coaching isn’t just about X’s and O’s or wins and

losses, it’s about making a difference and positively impacting athlete’s lives.