THE GRIFFIN JAGUARS FOUNDATION

DEDICATION AND COMMITTMENT

Coaching Philosophy

1. We are accountable. - We are responsible for our own success as well as our failure. "What we put out there is ours."
2. We have a great attitude. - We will be positive, energetic, winning, people concerned coaches.
3. We are indivisible as a staff. - We are loyal and must trust each other.
4. We are great innovators and teachers. - We are constantly evaluating techniques and searching for new methods.
5. We have excellent player-coach relationships. - We are here for our players. Our players are our #1 concern.
6. We want to be the best in all we do. - We will strive to have the best PROGRAM, best team, players, the best facility, the best uniforms, and the best equipment in MINOR LEAGUE  football.
7. We want our players to be good citizens and students.
8. We will coach our athletes to work harder and play harder than our opponents. We will have the best trained athletes in the country.
9. We will be ethical in all that we do to be the best.
10. Our team will be prepared every game we play. - We will prepare relentlessly; we will be very thorough.

The 4 wheels of the Football Program

Our program will be based on more than wins and losses. I have learned that players will care more when they know you sincerely care about them. In my first few years of coaching I was concerned with only one aspect of coaching: athletics. After not having much success I knew that I needed to change my philosophy. I knew we need to have more focus than football and we must have some balance to all we teach. I came up with the idea that we would get all of our players to buy into the 4 wheels of the program:

1. Academics

As a student athlete we expect you to excel on and off the field. You are expected to sit on the first two rows of your classroom and prepare for your class as if you were preparing for a championship game. As an athlete you are a role model and we will demand performance in the classroom. Your academic success will carry you later in life.

2. Athletics

A perfect athletic wheel will consist of year round training. Our training will consist of practice, speed and strength workouts, Breakfast of Champions training, and team building exercises.

3. Spiritual

I believe that we are called to assist our players grow in all areas of life. We will help our players understand their purpose in life. As a coach I hold myself accountable for my players and I hope to do everything I can to help them grow in their faith.

4. Service

You are called to be a servant for other people. As a team you are expected to give back to the community by participating in the many projects that w support. We expect you to plant trees that you have no intention to sit under.

Developing a philosophy

In developing a formal philosophy the coach can take three key components and to his or her best ability formulate a coaching philosophy document with the aim to be a better coach, to improve coach/athlete satisfaction and to achieve superior athletic results. These three components are:

1. Knowing yourself, your strengths, weakness and areas requiring improvement
2. Knowing what you are up against and the obstacles you may encounter
3. Understanding your athletes, their personalities, abilities, goals, and why they are in your sport

Know Yourself

It takes honest assessment to admit to having weaknesses but we all have them. We just do not want them to interfere with good coaching judgment. By focusing on your strengths you will be able to identify consistent ways to coach that utilize those strengths. Are you a good teacher, or motivator, or academic, or communicator or a former athlete? Are you dynamic, or easy going, or hard nosed or open and friendly? Use your strengths to your advantage. By taking time to make a serious assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and recognizing your morals, values and beliefs you are better able to adapt your own style to the athletes being coached. In addition, you will answer the important questions on why you are a coach, how you actually deliver as a coach and what objectives you are trying to accomplish. Self-knowledge leads to self-confidence and you want to exude what you believe in. One other point to consider here is - how do others perceive you?

Know what you are up against - your coaching context

As important as it is to understand what makes you tick, it is equally important to understand the confines of your coaching context. By this, I mean: A good understanding of the age, gender and training level of the athletes you coach. How much time you and your athletes have available to train and compete? What is your development program based upon and how far can you take it by enhancing and incorporating other aspects such as sport psychology, nutrition education or sophisticated technique analysis? What funding, facilities, services and equipment are at your disposal? In addition, what are your short medium and long term goals for your athletes?

There could be other restrictions that will affect your coaching delivery. These include laws or policies on safe practices, club or school rules of behaviour, competition with other sports, school pressures and outside activities, parental interference, or performance standards to qualify for teams and competitions. Knowing what you are up against enables you to tailor your annual training program to the specific needs of the athletes you have under your charge. By understanding the outside influences that will affect your program, you can incorporate those that are good practices. Such as policies on safety and behaviour, adapt to others that restrict your ability to be the 'do it all coach' such as lack of funds, equipment or services, and minimize negative obstacles that will affect you personally or an athlete on your team or your team in general. Dealing with parents can be a stressful situation and a clear philosophy on how you will deal with an irate parent will minimize or avoid the knee jerk reaction that often makes matters worse. By adapting your coaching philosophy to reflect the coaching situation you are dealing with you become more effective and productive and you minimize obstacles and other difficulties.

Understand your athletes, their personalities, abilities, goals and why they are in your sport

Communication is a vital aspect in coach/athlete relationships. It is very important to talk to your athletes individually to determine what their values and beliefs are, what their goals are and why they are participating. Without this knowledge, you might be delivering a coaching bag of apples to athletes wanting a bag of oranges. The program just will not work properly. As a coach, you are a powerful role model and can have a tremendous influence on your athletes if you and your athletes are on the same page. Take the time to get to know each of your athletes just as if you examined your own values, beliefs and habits. Once you know and understand each of your athletes, their strengths, weaknesses abilities and skills, then I suggest you develop an approach to coaching them. Will you focus on the stars? Will you treat everyone equal in terms of your attention and help? Perhaps the teamwork approach will work for you.

THE JAGUARS ARE LOOKING FOR COACHES NOW
The Griffin Jaguars are currently looking for coaches and trainers for the 2010 season. We are seeking for candidates that are interested in being a part of a professional team striving for success. Candidates must be able to attend practice hours in a high pressure situation. If you are interested in being a part of a quality program please forward your resume to griffinjaguars@yahoo.com. If you have any questions or would like to set up an interview please call (404)418-2251