How to determine your coaching principles

Consistency

Your principles should be applicable and useable in every situation, on and off the field, and they should be something you come back to repeatedly through a season. 

Consistency creates stability and expectation and, in turn, I believe, impacts performance.

 

Communication

Communication of your core principles is helpful at the start of your coaching journey, and you can scale it to suit your age group.

If you are reading this halfway through a season, and feel it is not something you have defined, it is never too late.

You never know, your exploration and communication of your own principles might help someone else define theirs. That is the gift of being a coach – the impact you can have on people, as well as players. 

 

Buy-in

So far, I have talked about my principles and how I have defined them.

However, I am not an island and my team are not subservient. I want my players to have an active say in the team’s values. 

I ask them to vote on what values matter to them. From a list of six to eight, we usually get three that are the most popular. 

By doing it this way, you have a multi-layered approach, defined by everyone. You also have accountability if players don’t hit their own pre-defined standards, as well as opportunities for growth and development through the season.

 

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Implementing your values should be in everything you do – how you communicate to players, how you plan your sessions and matchdays, contact time for players individually and as a group, and in meeting players where they are, as opposed to where you want them to be.

Key principles are not a stick to beat yourself or your players with; instead, they help maintain standards in a positive way.

Sometimes, sticking to your principles can be challenging – but you must remain strong and get comfortable with discomfort. 

Let’s say you see a player struggling and you substitute them because you want to win, despite being in a development league. 

Here, as the coach, you are not upholding the principle of development and have let your own discomfort get the better of you, rather than seeing the bigger picture.

Another scenario might be one where you are faced with difficult player behaviour or attitudes that fly in the face of your values. You could approach the situation as tit-for-tat, but that would likely be going against your core principles.

Standing strong is difficult to learn and requires emotional control. However, ultimately, you end up in a better place when you have stuck by your values and principles. 

It is likely to have an impact on the wider team and demonstrates the boundaries to any players with poor attitudes.

I have always found the words of Michelle Obama comforting, when she said: “When they go low, you go high."

The consistency of your implementation of the principles is one of the biggest risk factors when you set everything out for your team. If you define these, you must use them consistently across your entire coaching practice for them to work and be respected.

If you struggle with this, think about the following troubleshoots:

1. Do your principles feel authentic to you?
2. Do you have too many principles listed?
3. Where or how do you remind yourself of the principles?

Reflections are continuous, mistakes occur

Johan Cryuff said: “Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins." And this is true, regardless of the role you play, be it referee, player, administrator or, indeed, coach. 

We all make mistakes. And while it’s important to identify your principles, remember they are not glued to you forever. 

Revisit them throughout the season if that helps, but particularly after your season has finished. It is ok to rehash, tweak and recommunicate elements of your principles if things are not sitting right.  

You might find your principles remain consistent whatever level you coach, but you may find they land differently depending on the environment. 

It is perfectly fine to be fluid as you move through your life, as well as your coaching journey.

 

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Defining key principles can help you make better decisions
• Key values and principles can help provide foundations for better performance
• Collaboration encourages buy-in and accountability
• Key principles are not a stick with which to beat yourself or your players
• Be sure to reflect on a continuous basis to ensure your principles are still authentic to you and your team