Over the past few weeks many high profile Rugby and Cricket coaches have been sacked from the school coaching system.Things haven’t been any different in the international sporting set up either. Everyone from the Manchester United Coach to the English Cricket Team Coach and the Australian Rugby Head.
Coach have been shown the door over the past few years.In sport, like in most other things in life, it’s a simple theory… You perform well, produce good results – you keep your spot.
In Sri Lanka, coaching at school level or even at the international level is a highly intense and stressful job. You’re expected to win every game. Even though you may not have all the scientific knowledge and tools, as a coach you’re expected to handle physical, mental and social training.
Can everyone win? Can we all have a winning streak all year through? What do we expect from a professional coach? It’s a rarity nowadays to see coaches being loyal and sticking to one organization. I personally feel a coach needs at least 2 seasons to prove his quality. In theory you need up to four years to build a winning team but two years is sufficient for you to experiment, change your team and coaching style, etc. If need be, you must be able to change or sack your backroom coaching staff to achieve the desired winning results. Coaching wisdom also includes recruiting suitable Fitness, Physical and Medical assistance and counsel to help improve your coaching unit. You need to know what YOUR weaknesses are and the limits of YOUR capabilities too.
I strongly believe that all coaches MUST learn
- Fitness Science – Not just fitness
- Sports Medicine – Not just recommending a pain killer or Glucose
- Sports Nutrition – Not just giving ineffective energy drinks
- First aid -Not just applying ice and using sprays
Physiology and Psychology – Learn about body movement and mind manipulation and management (Control)
Almost everyone should have a basic understanding of the above scientific terms. Don’t EVER think you know everything. That’s where you can go wrong. Sports Science changes on a daily basis. There will always be new theories and concepts, therefore you MUST update yourself. Do not be hesitant to apply new techniques, methods, etc. It’s all about trial and error provided you have your basic sports scientific knowledge intact.
In times gone by it was thought that if you are a coach you must carry the following things and then you are ready to conduct a coaching session well.
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Stop watch To monitor timing |
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Whistle To command discipline |
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Sporty Kit and Cap To project a sporty image and avoid getting a sunstroke |
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Notebook To write down important occurrences |
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However with time these concepts and theories have faded away and given way to more modern and appropriate theories or should I say practicality. The priority placed on the stopwatch, whistle, and file has been replaced by a more important and professional concept: Sports Philosophy. Every single coach MUST have his own Sports Philosophy.
According to the Oxford dictionary Philosophy is defined as the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.
In Sport, philosophy is the metaphysical relationship sport has with art and play, ethical issues of virtue and fairness and more broadly socio-politics.
If we look at history, ancient Greece was considered the birthplace of both ancient philosophy and Olympic sport. Hellenistic philosophies hung great significance on athletic performance. A leader’s sporting ability, during that time, reflected mostly on their ability to lead. Sport was seen as a cognitive examination, a practical activity by which we learn the objective truth of a person’s athletic potential by portraying it in sporting competition. Sport as a measure of individual worth was even seen as a cure to social inequality. Further it was even seen as moral education, when Plato encouraged the participation of women in sport for their moral enrichment.
The most important things to consider when formulating your Sport Philosophy is the social virtues of sport, the aesthetics of sporting performances and display, the epistemology of individual and team strategy and techniques, sporting ethics, the logic of rules in sport and metaphysics as a component of human nature / instinct.
Well coach, do you have a unique philosophy?
I’m sure you can buy your stopwatch, whistle, note book, sports kit and cap from anywhere… but WHERE can you buy your Philosophy? Shouldn’t it come from within?
So today, if you don’t have your very own Sports Philosophy, Coach…… Find one …..
You will need that – if you’re going to keep that job!
Maybe next time we can look at some easy methods to help you formulate your very own Philosophy. Till then, watch your back!
