Caleb Barker

Chad Remmert

Football Theory: Coaching Philosophy

3/8/21

Coaching Philosophy

As a Head High School Football Coach, there are a plethora of responsibilities and duties

you may have. These being from establishing traits and characteristics of the program, stating the

mission of the program, to player development and treatment. You may also be asked to

establish a reputation from the eyes of other schools, the community, and even the state. Perhaps

hiring your assistant coaches and having a foundation of values for yourself and them to follow

is one of the most crucial factors of being a successful coach. In this Philosophy you will find

where I stand on all of these points, and how building a winning culture from all of these

attributes is the most important feature of being a Head High School Football Coach.

Leadership breeds success, determination gets you through the mud, and loyalty

establishes brotherhood. If these things aren’t present when I get to a high school, they will be

established from the very beginning. Like Urban Meyer in his book, Above the Line, leadership

isn’t a difference maker, it is the difference maker. Those who are hungry to take charge through

initiative for school, weights, team relationships, and much more earn respect from others, and if

the entire culture is based on respect for one another, you’ll want to run through a wall for any of

them. These players and coaches are intentional with their time, purposeful with what they do,

and skillful within their craft. I believe in making the most of your time. My program is going to
be efficient in making leaders, and it looks like that from what was stated above, earning respect

and doing the right things. Determination is a common word that is similar to those of grit,

tenacity, work-ethic, and much more. The depth of determination comes from the idea that there

is an end goal. There must be a meaning or reason why we get up at 5:30am to lift weights, a

purpose. I believe that my program will be hungry and driven to come to practice each day from

my daily energy and positive attitude. My kids need to have the want to be Above the Line,

rather than go through the motions and be average. I feel like I’ve worked incredibly hard for a

lot of things in my life, and have found opportunities and success from them, and I want my team

to do the same. Awards, accomplishments, and recognitions don’t come from just being average,

they come to those who are determined to be great and want more for themselves and as a team.

As Coach Eckhartt stated, Loyalty is #1. Loving one another, being there for each other, and

working hard all comes with being loyal. I don't want a bunch of guys who can name off 50

different play schemes, I want men who are bought into the program’s culture and determination

to win a state championship.

The mission of the program is to create a culture that establishes a winning environment,

along with developing young men to be beneficial to society. That being from volunteering,

treating women the right way, giving back, being a Holy man, and successfully raising a family

with the right moral values. Obviously, the goal of this program is to win state championships,

but we can do this and mold boys into young men. I believe players should know they are being

coached by a man who cares about them far beyond the football field. Establishing relationships

based on trust and loyalty comes from caring, and I plan to do that every single day. I’ve found

that sharing life skills & lessons, communicating and being positive can go a long way with

young players as I was influenced that way by certain coaches. I plan to get to know each and
every athlete so that when they are done playing High School Football, they can reach out to me

and talk to me about their young families, so that they can celebrate with me about that new job,

or how they changed that tire that I taught them how to do. These men should know life is more

than football, and if they can recognize the brotherhood they establish with me, the coaches, and

peers on a daily basis from all of our involvement (camps, morning practices, bus rides… you

name it), they’ll be one happy and successful player on an entire team feeling the same way.

An idea that has been floating around the coaching world lately is that athletes should be

treated fairly, but not necessarily equally; and I stand by that belief. The first time everyone

walks into the room, or the first time we hit the weight room as a team, every single player is on

the same playing field. It’s how you act in there, the classroom, at home, on the streets, and on

the field is how things may change from you in regards to treatment. If I notice an athlete is

jacking around in class, yes I will speak to them and encourage them to be better, to focus on the

team mission. But, we all know if this is a consistent matter, it’s more of a you thing, an attitude

thing, rather than something I can fix. When these things happen, my motivation for helping you

succeed in my strong program may slowly deteriorate unless you do something about it. Yes, I

will put my foot forward to help first, but it is not my job to babysit. We are all in this together,

and everyone will be treated fairly until someone proves me wrong. On top of that, skill and

talent is another touchy area, and yes, those who are more skillful may be treated with a higher

quality of attention. The goal & mission is to win a state championship, and if that means the

best athlete gets the most attention to help us win, so be it. Either way, I strongly believe that

every athlete will feel loved by me no matter the circumstances.

Having a strong reputation with everyone associated with you, if you know them or not,

is incredibly important and essentially lays the foundation on how you will be treated. Being a
Head High School Coach comes with the responsibility of consistently doing the right things. No

one wants to be the school known as the “unsportsmanlike school” or the “loudmouth school.”

These are just examples of how my athletes will not behave because it will be ingrained in their

brains to act responsibly, respectfully, and positively in the school environment. Perhaps

consequences such as conditioning, or less playing time will be established for those who cannot

keep composure with their own reputation. The sports arena in general is always affected by one

or small groups of people; everyone has to do their part to maintain a balance of dignity for the

school district. It’s important to be good people to other schools, the community, and the state

because we want a fair playing environment, invitations to events, volunteers, money, etc.

Overall, I want my program, and school district, to be respected and known as the school that can

handle themselves while playing competitively and having fun while being successful.

Having help as the “main guy” is acceptable. That being said, the five qualities for

assistant coaches I would hire are: Loyalty, Energy, Communication, Creativity, and Discipline.

Again, having eachothers backs through “the mud” is important to success. The mud is the grit

and tough times, the adversity a team may go through. If I don’t show up to 6am weights, why

should my assistants have to, and vice versa. This is a brotherhood trait, you do anything for one

another. If you asked the winning teams of previous championships, I’d bet money that the

majority of those teams have an incredibly strong bond and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Energy is like a balance beam. If you have too much energy or too much pull, it impairs

developmental momentum and slows down players. If you have too little energy or too little pull,

players spin off in all directions and are ineffective. I want an assistant who can scream at the

right times, and sit down to read a book as well. Next, which is close to my heart because I’ve

built so many relationships with this tool, is communication. Professionalism will get you so far
in today’s society, and if my assistant can be an effective communicator with me, the players,

and even parents, I want him or her by my side. This can be personable such as taking the time to

get to know a player, to sending out a mass email to parents about a team meal; it takes a lot of

time, but it’s proven to be a successful trait. We must be able to adapt and change in today’s

society. New schemes, formations, and even types of players for certain positions play rapidly,

and coaches need to be quick on their feet and creative in countering these changes. Lastly,

discipline will keep an entire roster on track. Myself and my assistant coaches will show

consistency and discipline to the guidelines, the mission, and the culture, and when that shows

from leadership, the rest of the team follows.