About twenty years ago I learned of Coach Joe Newton, a long-time, successful high school Cross Country coach in Illinois. By that time Newton had put together nearly 40 impressive years with his York High team. He elevated the team from obscurity to a perennial powerhouse prompting me to purchase his book, "Coaching Cross Country Successfully." It is a short read but nevertheless touches on all the important aspects of coaching a distance running team. One of the topics he discusses is developing coaching excellence. Coach Newton provides a list of guidelines to follow in the pursuit of coaching excellence which are shown below.
1. Make the sport important so the athlete can gain status from it.
2. Adopt a positive approach to everything you do and say.
3. Set realistic goals that challenge but don't overwhelm the athletes.
4. Realize that success is based on overcoming disappointments and bad days.
5. Develop a winning attitude by repeating satisfying experiences.
6. Take a sincere interest in every one of your athletes.
7. Deal with the whole person - mind, body, spirit.
8. Stress self-improvement for all athletes.
9. Develop thinkers who will make suggestions for their own improvement.
10. Promote group dynamics and the magic of team togetherness.
11. Let the athletes know it is their program.
12. Stay in shape yourself so you can be a role model.
Joe Newton coached until he was 87 and passed away a year later in 2017. Even at my age I'm still a work in progress. Admittedly I may never accomplish my own goals and most certainly will never be in the same hemisphere Coach Newton was as a coach, but I'll be forever grateful for the template he provided and will continue to strive toward excellence every day I have the privilege of coaching.
As our season approaches, I've taken the opportunity to again read, contemplate and resolve to follow these guidelines. True excellence may remain merely a goal but working toward it will always be a step in the right direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment