Coaching and leadership styles and philosophies

My leadership and coaching style is grounded in the relational leadership model.

Komives, S. R., Lucas, N. J. and McMahon, T. R. (2013)

My coaching philosophy is founded upon cultivating young women of authenticity
and high moral character who become leaders in their communities and beyond. I
strive to facilitate an environment that graduates soccer players of high technical
ability and tactical understanding with a passion for the game. I look for this to be
fulfilled as a direct result of the environment that my leadership style and approach
creates. At the center of everything is purpose: I believe in defining task orientated
goals and establishing standards of behavior and expectations in a democratic
method involving the whole team. The guidelines for establishing these cultural
norms are displayed by the relationship between the principles of inclusion,
empowerment and ethics. All of these concepts are embodied in a process
orientated structure. This shared and co-operative leadership approach is one
which is very central to my coaching style. While I fully embrace the notion that the
situation, the skill level of the followers, the goals of the individual and the team as
well as my credibility will sometimes determine what approach will be most
successful, I lend towards utilizing this style the majority of the time. This is how
the formation of my style can be defined in further detail:
Purpose: I believe in goal setting with my team both as a unit and as individuals.
They help set the team standards and code of conduct, which increases ownership
and adherence to that which they set forth. It is also a method to engage critical
and problem solving thinking, which I look to develop for the players on and off the
field. While I engage a very supporting style in this approach, I embody a more
directing/coaching style when it comes to define their roles on the field. I outline the
job description of each position, and then the players can suggest where they
think they are best utilized. It will then be my decision where they are placed within
the system.

Inclusive : My leadership style is one that looks to mold not just to the situation
that confronts me and my program, but also to ensure that no players are left out of
the mainstream and in the margins. Building a community and culture that is
inclusive of all abilities, talents, strengths and weaknesses is central to this. An
example of this is that I ensure that my practices are conducive to all types of
learners; kinesthetic, auditory and visual. We utilize diagrams, walk through and
demos and well as spoken instruction, whenever we introduce any concept at
practice, this ensures the players are all always learning and developing.
Empowering : My leadership style is to look to educate and cultivate the next
generation of leaders. Therefore we intentionally develop leadership in our program
by implementing a co-curriculum to our technical and tactical development, that
look s to teach leadership tools to all our players that they can then use as often as
possible. Creating leadership opportunities (real meaningful decisions) such as
consulting with captains on discipline issues, also encourages players to be
empowered in their leadership roles.
Ethical : Committing our program to socially responsible behavior that helps to
establish a sense of personal character and responsibility is very central to my
leadership style. By creating an environment in which I teach and implement
different leadership lessons as part of a curriculum with our program is central to
this. We spend 2 weeks talking about margin v main stream ideas and cultural
identity. I look to facilitate discussions and exercises that allow the team to lead
each other in their learning and growth. I take a very casual lassiez faire approach in
these instances. One example of this is when we do an exercise called the America
race , others know it as the privilege walk. The captains lead this exercise and the
following discussion on equality, race, gender among many other topics.
Process Orientated: While all the parts of my leadership and coaching style are
critical to my consistency, the corner stone to everything I lead on and off the field
is that it is process orientated. Collaboration, reflection, giving and receiving
feedback as well as learning are of great value to me. This means that the players
are involved in decision making in order for them to learn why we are doing things
and in turn replicate the process. On the field that means utilizing guided discovery
as a primary teaching method and allowing players to run our game film meetings
50% of the time. It means that we are task and person orientated rather than
outcome orientated.
While I am passionate about the way in which I lead , and I look to always stay
central to this approach, I am hyper aware that there is always grey area in life. The
best example that I always remember being given to me on how important it is to
vary your style to fit the situation and the followers is this:
If we are all in a building that is on fire, how would you lead? You would almost
certainly take on an authoritarian approach no matter the audience, in order to lead

others to safety. There would be no time for collaboration and discussion, just
Autocratic demanding instructions. Yet how would that approach vary if it were a
room full of fire marshals? What if it was a room full of 12 year old children.
This dilemma highlights to me the importance of being self-aware and grounded in
the desire to want to learn and evolve at all times; something I certainly embrace in
my leadership and coaching style.
Soccer coaching Philosophy
My soccer coaching philosophy is very much an extension of my leadership and
coaching style. Part of my stated coaching philosophy is; I strive to facilitate an
environment that graduates soccer players of high technical ability and tactical
understanding with a passion for the game. This means that I look to take an
approach very similar to that outlined by Van Gaal. I embrace having a vison
(purpose) and structure within that. Discipline at every position is imperative and
this is established by creating purpose, process orientated driven job descriptions at
every position. For example:
Outside backs: defensively the outside back will delay and deny penetration. They
will read the game in order to assert when to retreat and recover and when to
counter press. They will be patient in their approach, and powerful in the final
challenge. Our outside backs will have a proficient knowledge and understanding of
their role as 1st, 2nd and third defender and be able to execute the technical skills
necessary in each role. 1st defnder: closes down and pressures person on ball.
Decide between gaining possession via a tackle, or jockeying the attacker towards a
situation of numerical advantge. Force a turn over or execute a tackle that
dispossess the attacker. Win the ball in the air in aerial challenges. 2nd defender:
give support and cover to 1st dendfer, communicates to 2st defender, adjusts
distance and angle to 1st defender to provide numerical adnavtage over
attacker3rd defnder: give balance to deny penetration by a through ball . provide
support and communication to 2nd defender. They will be quick to transition into
the attack, providing width and support over the length of the field. They will look to
effectively and efficiently retain the ball and aid in circulating it up the field.
Offensively the outside backs will look to effectively provide support in maintain
possession and in the final third providing a critical pass or cross to aid in finishing a
move.
Tactical
My coaching approach embraces the concept of playing to our strengths. We
Implement whatever formation is best for the players and take into consideration
the opposition in terms of how we implement that formation. Next season we will
look to play a 1-5-3-2. This formation looks to provide defensive stability through
numerical superiority at the back. As we play teams that are qualitatively superior
to us this formation will be very rigid and compact defensively, with our offensive

transitions being rooted in counter attacking. When playing other teams that are not
as superior to us, we will look to more possession orientated and focusing on
possession and patient build up. This flexibility in our approach is bred out of my
passion for being process orientated. It helps my players understand why we play a
certain way, and to decide for themselves when to implement what approach on the
field (with my guidance). I am therefore developing critical thinking players. I
believe that Van Gaals definitions and outlines for his vision and structure for his
tactical philosophy are parallel to mine. I therefore have integrated them into my
own coaching philosophy:
Offensive organization:
1st phase: construction- playing out the back- we will look to utilize our outside
backs as options to release our attacker with width and a front two providing depth
of the field.

2nd phase- movement and circulation of ball. We will look to possess the ball both
vertically and horizontally, working together as a unit to possess the ball,
strategically moving up field utilizing space created by intelligent horizontal Ball
movement.

3rd phase- create chances and break down the defense. Look to take calculated
risks to play the final ball into the box. Create openings by fast paced, clinical
horizontal ball movement, with a look to penetrate open space created

4th phase- finishing the move. Be creative and clinical in front of the net, taking
shots when they are open and committing your body to redirecting the ball onto
frame.

Offensive transition- Players must immediately look to provide width, depth and
support

Defensive organization: Players look to retreat and recover to provide a deep and
compact back line to delay and deny penetration.

Defensive transition: players are to read the game, their opposition and their
location on when to press and when to retreat. We will look to utilize a low press the
majority of the time in order to set ourselves up to best win the ball back and
transition as a unit.

Technical
My coaching approach looks to develop the players strengths, while not being
ignorant to their weaknesses. By adjusting our formation and tactical approach to
mesh with our strengths, the team spends a lot of their practice time in areas that
improve those strengths. However in preparing for playing different teams, we often
push the players out of their comfort zones and to improve in areas of weakness.
For example, I look to make my team a possession orientated team that looks to
retain and circulate the ball. This means our passing, receiving and arsenal and
application of ball skills must be of a high level and are therefore intentionally
developed in practice. Nether less, when we look to play a counter attacking style
in order to hit a team at their weakest point, I need players who are able to
distribute and receive long ball, therefore we will spend time developing these skills
as well, even if they are an area of weakness for some individuals. Therefore we will
spend time developing these individual areas, nonetheless focusing most of our
energy and development into extenuating players strengths. The areas of technical
development I take into intentional consideration and look to work on are:

Passing & receiving

Running with the ball

Turning

Shooting

Ball control

Heading

1v1 attacking

Shielding the ball

Receiving to turn

Crossing & finishing

1v1 defending

References
W, Goldsmith,. Key elements for leadership teams <word file >
J, McGregor. Coach Ks A-B-Cs of Leadership. <word file>
Coaching styles <PPT>
S, Sampla. Leadership and the role of a leader in sports. <word file>
K,Sugarman, Leadership Characteristics <word file>
J, Giandonato ,Leadership Discovery Style in Performance Coaching <word file>
A, Osmanbai (2014). JUEGO DE POSICIN UNDER PEP GUARDIOLA

Van Gaals Philosophy < word file>

Komives, S. R., Lucas, N. J. and McMahon, T. R. (2013) Exploring Leadership: For
College Students Who Want to Make a Difference. 3rd edn. United States: Wiley,
John & Sons