Coach Coughlin Steps To Success

Coach Steve Rocker is one of the most successful high school basketball coaches in Kentucky’s history. Coach Rocker was very successful in previous years. Strangely, this year was very different for him. For the first time in his professional life, he is falling short of his expectations, the community expectations, and the team’s expectations. His team lost a lot of games, but most importantly the boys had no motivation or desire to bring the team out of the rut they found themselves. His players have lost their will to win, their love for their teammates, and their passion to play. Coach Rocker’s motivational methods that have always worked before and resulted in success are now failing, and he doesn’t know why. He argues that his players have become selfish and bored with winning because they have been so successful in previous years. “And there’s no question that my guys have lost their drive to win because they’ve won so much in the past. Now all they want is individual ‘wins’…which just doesn’t cut it on a team” (Gongwer, 2010, p. 17).

Joe Ehrmann describes how he has developed his philosophy of coaching by relating the story of his life in his youth, high school and in college describing two different types of coaches he had played for. The first are coaches who were impersonal, authoritarian, and sometimes abusive which he calls transactional coaches; this is in contrast to the humane coaches he calls transformative coaches. Coaches must face this responsibility because we all remember our coaches. “This is the awesome power and responsibility of coaching: You give your players memories, for better or for worse that stay with them until the day they die” (Ehrmann, 2011 p 46-47). Joe Erhmann goes on to ask, “What is the moral and ethical composition of their program?

Vince Lombardi is definitely one of the best football coaches of all time. Lombardi was not only considered as an excellent football coach, but as one of the greatest coaches regardless of the sport. He was a great motivator, and touched the lives of his players, and fellow coaching staff. One of Lombardi’s most famous speeches was “What It Takes to Be Number One.” This speech was first debuted in the Green Bay Packers locker room during half time. Not only did Lombardi use this speech to motivate his players, but he also used it when he was asked to be guest speak at business conferences and political conventions. Vince Lombardi exercised many rhetorical devices while making this famous speech. His use of these devices is the reason why many have been touched by his words and motivated to be the best they can be in life. By using his credibility and stature as a winning football coach Lombardi uses a sense of ethos in his speaking. As a coach, talking about ones “ inner feelings” was not Lombardi’s strong suit, but he does express pathos is his speaking by using emotional words such as “loser,” “winner,” “heart” in order to connect with audience. Also, Lombardi uses logical reasoning in his speech, by applying the action of winning not only in football, but in all aspects of life

Reflecting daily upon these values will increase my ability to articulate a holistic coaching philosophy. A personal coaching philosophy can be used as a tool itself, enabling a coach to question their practices and develop their own understanding and knowledge (Nash, et al., 2008). Already being interested in Sports Psychology, the reflective learning practice was already something I was aware of and keen to know more about.

Walking out on the field clothed in full confidence, I have no doubt in my mind that our team will perform to our fullest potential. As a team captain, fear is something that I keep locked away in my mind; however, I still get butterflies before every game. Before each game, I inhale two puffs, stretch every muscle, and sing to myself to remain placid. When praying for strength, courage, and protection, it is like the Holy Ghost enters my players and kindles inside of them. Their focus shifts from what could go wrong to what will go right and what they will do to help the team. When I walk on the field, my heart begins to feel like it is about to beat out of my chest, and I feel like someone is trying to take over my kingdom. On the field I am home, I have purpose, and I have a sense of belonging. While I may feel like I am suffocating, I still continue to pump my

On the first hole at Kansas Golf Club I found myself pacing back and forth. Wiping the perspiration from my forehead, all sense of composure slowly surrendered to a not so ordinary nervousness. Don 't get me wrong, I had always been the “nervous” athlete, one that admired the mental prowess of professional athletes. Glorifying others’ attributes surely obstructed enhancement of my own. As the announcer recited my name to the small crowd I pushed my golf tee into the ground, what a magical feeling. My arms swung backward, this was it; I could not embarrass myself. This marked the beginning of my journey, elevating nervous feelings to performance threatening levels. Preventing the inevitable meltdown had been my worst enemy. I often questioned the meaning behind this inner turmoil, but never considered it a priority. I was on the brink of collapse. Was this new found anxiety a reflection of unconscious inclination? After years of subjective contemplation I arrived at one hypothesis: I lacked the experience and ability to outplay failure during adverse situations. Fixed between years of uncompromising commitment to golf and a college golf was an adverse situation. I had never been in the position to win on the last day, no experience of failure to guide me home. In the pursuit of self actualization one must succumb to adversity, experience failure, while maintaining unparalleled obstinacy

Everything my team had worked for was gone, almost as fast as it started. The next few weeks were tough, I felt the blame for how things transpired. Until I came upon this quote, “ You learn more from losing than winning. You learn how to keep going.” -Morgan Wooten. This quote inspired me not to solely focus on the past, but to look towards the future, my future.

Arguably the best basketball player to ever play the game, (Michael Jordan) once said, “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them”(Jordan). This quote means you have to have confidence in yourself to achieve your goals. If you are playing a basketball game, and you believe your team is destined to lose from the start, there is no way that you will win. You need to believe that you can win the game to actually do it. While playing a game with no self confidence you’re not going to be able to play to the best of your ability, in view of the fact that you can’t picture yourself succeeding.

This assignment develops my own individual pearls or rules of wisdom based on guidance from other successful coaches like Mike Krzyzewski who is one of the most successful coaches from the NCAA. Mike Krzyzewski was the head coach of the basketball team at Duke University. His mentorship and reviews on key events and games during the tenure of his career provide other players and coaches with crucial tips and advice as they embark on achieving their own success in life (Robinson, 2008). His book offers many inspirational and wisdom quotes that he learnt throughout his career as a coach and most of them he developed from his own personal experiences and also from significant life models in his life. In his book, he mainly focuses on the important lessons that guide coaches in life, business and in their coaching jobs. Some of the lessons he emphasizes on include leadership, coaching to win, discipline, honesty, trust and persistence (Krzyzewski & Phillips, 2000).

At the end of the year, my coach signed my yearbook -- I honestly expected sentences of encouragement, since he commented on my diligence, integrity, and improvement during swim meets. However, I received a paragraph about confronting my fears. My coach acknowledged my improvement throughout my swimming career, but he also stated that I didn't try hard enough, not because I was lazy, but because I feared of failing first to succeed.

This is the most critical aspect of what a coach should do. If a team truly believes they can win a championship, a coach needs to hone athletes in on a daily basis and really get them to focus on being the best and staying the best. There should be no room for error and a coach should always have them doing things to improve. I know that every championship team I have been on has been pretty strict. This only works if everyone “buys in.” But like I said before, if a team truly believes they can achieve big things, they all will be focused on the goal. My coaches have always pushed everyone on a daily basis and made practice environments competitive and challenging. They did this so that we could relate practice to a game situation and when the time came, we’d already have overcome it. This also applies to me wanting to be a physical therapist because if an athlete truly wants to get back on the field, the structure I need to provide for them needs to be challenging, but still a careful environment. This will prove to the athlete that I am here for the same reasons he or she is and really get them interested and believing in what I have to say. Structure is important for injury also because as an athlete, you still think that you are invincible and can do the things that you once did before you got hurt. Lastly, structure also is important due to the fact that when you

The way I watched him orchestrate a team through ups and downs over a four year period was something that I will never forget. Even with this being said, we both had our similarities and differences when it came to leadership. Coach Ferrer always had the mindset of winning. This included him looking at goals from a strategic perspective and dream really big. It came with a lot of encouragement, honesty, and an extreme height of pressure. Not to say that it didn't work most of the time, but did have a few let downs in the biggest moments. Due to the fact that I always experienced switch ups when it comes to plans, I tend to not think ahead so much. I rather stay in the moment and let things progress that way. This is very ironic because coach Ferrer was actually the one who taught me how to think of the present task to accomplish and staying in the moment. The two thing we without question have in common is commitment and communication. ‘The author highlights the importance of effective communication, building trust and maintain accountability for effective leadership”. (White, Pg.1). This quote relates to the type of player/coach bond me and Coach Ferrer had but more importantly how we connected as leaders. Our high school was not highly known on the NYC market. This brings up many questions upon why I haven't transferred from that school following my freshman year. I saw something in my coach and my team. I had visioned us as a collective group doing something really special and making history. This was the reason why I stayed and also why my coach stayed as well. This example shows how driven we were to lead this basketball program and help others within a few

Perry says, “ Victory is in my veins / I know it, I know it / and I will not negotiate / I’ll fight it, I’ll fight” (Perry 10-13). Showing that all it takes for an athlete like me to be prepared for an upcoming game is to believe in oneself and to know that if I do my part then my team will succeed. Self-reliance is one of the biggest part to winning. Without it, a player is unconfident and it will need them to make more and more mistakes. Rise shows how athletes need to be self-reliant and that they when they believe themselves they can accomplish

(Start off walking from the right side to the middle of the stage.) 3.1 seconds left on the clock. Thirty eight year old Ray Allen grabs the ball stands in his famous corner three pointer, and he lets the ball go. (Slide) My house shook as if an earthquake just happened. I thought that the Heat was going to win the next year, but they got beat by the San Antonio Spurs.(Hand Gesture.) I learned, “One can not always get what they desire.” I am not saying that you should always expect to lose, but you need to be patient to see the outcome. Let’s take a team like the Philadelphia 76rs (Slide). They never win a game, but in a couple of years, they might just be better than the Golden State Warriors. (Hand Gesture.) These are my thoughts and stories

In just about every football game from any age group there is always some sort of peptalk. This is usually given by the coach to fire up the players and get them ready for the game ahead of them. The pep talk I got that night will be in my mind for the rest of my life. My Coach always gave us life lessons that were key not only on the field but off of it as well. He would say things such as “there is no I in team” and “anything is accomplishable if you work hard enough.” He was always inspiring me with his speeches, but one stuck out the most. This speech was at one of our Thursday night meetings; we would meet every Thursday to eat supper together as a team, hang out with freinds, and most importantly get ready for the game on Friday. We would always sit in chairs and listen to him; Usually ranting on about teamwork and stuff like that but he changed it up. The life lesson he was teaching us was play like it was your last game.