Coaching Philosophy


In preparation for my presentation at the Global Coaching House in London next week I have been giving a lot of thought to coaching philosophy and its implications for policy and practice. A coaching philosophy is the coaches guiding light. It is the cornerstone upon which everything else is built. Without a sound well thought out philosophy you will not be effective as a coach. The philosophy consists of certain foundational beliefs that you will never compromise. They are absolute and should never change.

My philosophy is governed by the following quote from George Bernard Shaw: Some people see things the way they are and ask why? Others see things the way they should be, and ask Why not?” The pursuit of excellence has it’s own rewards. I am the coach of people not sports. Coaching sports is easy, that is the X’s and O’s. Coaching people is more complex; it demands understanding of what makes each athlete tick.

Know why you coach? Know why your athletes participate. Know your coaching style, that is the means of implementing your philosophy. The cornerstone of any effective coaching style is communication.

Coaching = Leadership & Communication

Harry Truman said that leadership is: The ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it. Genuine leaders have an intuition and ability to visualize the big picture. They think long term. They grasp the relationship of larger realities, have political skills, cause change, affirm values, and achieve unity.

Vern Gambetta

Vern Gambetta

Director at Gambetta Sports Training Systems
Vern Gambetta


Vern Gambetta

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