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My coaching philosophy centers around building the person in order to build the athlete. Former UCLA basketball
head coach John Wooden used a rule that when a player did well he would praise the player, but when a player failed
he would blame the collective “we” of the team. I believe that this philosophy fosters the best growth in individual
players as well as the dedication and desire for the “we” to achieve great things. I would be a non-dictator coach that
would allow my players to be creative and embrace their individual styles within the collective team setting. This allows
players to take ownership of their actions and to put their individual fingerprints on the team, while maintaining the
axiom that no one player is above the team.
Further, when developing the person I believe that school work, citizenship, and character must be stressed. As a
former two time Academic-All American, I believe strongly that there is a reason why the word “student” comes before
the word “athlete” in the phrase “student-athlete.” Any player that plays for me will need to be a student first. Soccer
is a thinking persons game, and without a strong and creative mind a soccer player will be severely handicapped.
Further, I would expect all players to be good citizens and to bring pride to themselves, their families and their school.
Finally, I would try to instill good character in all players. This character would include being able to win and lose
with grace and dignity.
As the coach of a team I would not only hold myself to the same standards as my players, but I would hold myself to a
higher standard. I would be and would want to be a role model for these student-athletes. I would try to be a
positive influence on each student-athlete, stop any hazing before it begins and instill a sense of self-esteem to
every player no matter their skill level. I want my players to know that I care about them not only as players,
but more importantly as people.
In order to get my players to learn the game of soccer I would apply the OOI theory of coaching during practices.
(OOI stands for Organize, Observe and Instruct). When coaching soccer I feel that it is extremely important to
try to allow players to adapt and try to be creative, learn while doing, and think their way through drills
before stepping in and instructing on exact points. I believe this is the best way to coach soccer because it
allows players to develop the thinking and creative skills necessary for success, before being specifically
instructed. Further, as a former player and a student of the game, I believe that this style will also allow
me to understand my players and furnish them with the best possible instruction that I can.
Inside of this OOI theory I would use five pillars to enhance the players learning curve. These five pillars are:
1.Repetition
2.Progression (Start simple then add players or restrictions)
3.Restrictions or Conditions (Limited touches, limited space, ect...)
4.Freezing Play (Instruct while players can see real time mistakes)
5.Player Analysis (Ask players how things went and what needs work)
With these pillars, the players will learn and progress at a faster pace and with a better learning curve then
without. It is also critical that player analysis be done according to the Socratic Method, so that players are
forced to try to think about the answer and improve their soccer I.Q.s. My Eight Deadly Sins of Soccer contains many
bad habits and ways to improve that can help in analyzing yourself.
I would further bring the following to any team I would coach, a Love for the beautiful game of Soccer!
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