How to be an Extraordinary
Assistant Coach
Don Papasedero
W.I.A.A. Coaches School
July 30, 2010
Before we start, a few words…
• Thanks to all of you for being a Coach! It should
be regarded by you as a personal and
professional honor!
• Everything you do can make a difference!
• Do you have a mission?
• Unique subject…tough to speak about…I need a
way to spread the news! I have no choice but to
speak authoritatively…(old and experienced
coach)
• I intend to help you look at yourself and what
you ARE doing…and offer some ways I think
you SHOULD be doing business.
• “This coaching stuff” is not as easy as it
looks…a bit like eating an elephant.
• Don’t take notes! I will be ready to send them to
you or visit about this presentation afterwards.
Coaching is Teaching!
• To be a good “teacher” of your sport,
be ready to commit to 2 things:
1) You never know enough!
2) “I’m in”
• The coach of today needs a big tool
kit and a blueprint for how and what
is to be taught!
How do you choose to
become a “coach”?
…and
How do Head Coaches
select their assistants?
“…you know, all I really knew was
basketball. I was really short and
slow as a player…but really loud!
Naturally I became a coach.”
Red Auerbach
“I figured that if my son was going
to get yelled at by really stupid
people…I might as well be the
loudest one.”
Bill Belichick Sr.
“I think I would look soooo sexy
wearing those tight pants, bright
colors and fancy head phones.”
Hal Holbrook
“I hire a bunch of guys who say,
“Yes, coach” all the time…but I
only use those guys who say, “I
have an idea Coach.”
Lou Holtz (Notre Dame)
“We only hire them fellas’ that
can’t live without the grease, oil,
and noise. Also, these guys ain’t
as handsome as me neither… I
look bettah to the girlies.”
Richard Petty (NASCAR)
“I hire ‘em (assistants) by the
pants sizes of the last
staff…saves money on new
coaching gear.”
Howard Scellenberger (Miami)
“Assistants? Who needs
‘em…This isn’t called the
damn “Greatest Show on
Earth” because of the hired
help!”
P.T. Barnum
Assistant Coach’s roles
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...as a “Coach” of your sport
...as a member of the coaching staff
...as a “Teacher” of the game
...as an Assistant to the Head Coach
...as an ambassador for the game
The Assistant as a “Coach”
• Loyalty. Use and refer to coach’s philosophy on
everything.
• Make your assigned area the best! Set the pace
of drills very rapidly in your coaching area!
• Coach everything on the run! NASCAR, baby!
“A bad rep. is way better than a good stand”
Mark Speckman
• Teach with your nature, strengths, and
personality...be You!
• Be prepared and detailed for every drill.
Maximize your time. Know what is to be taught,
what equipment you need and plan on finding
snakes.
• Model being on time, following chain of
command, and effective learning habits...say,
“Yes Coach!”
• Recognize what the athlete is capable of. Be
corrective, positive, and focus on improvement.
Teach the kid!
• Know your package cold.
• Restate and remind everyone about the critical
importance of fundamentals. Brilliant!
• If you use anger, use 1 on 1 contact with the
player that day! Do it! Heal us!
“If your goal is to be a great coach, and their
goal is to be great player, if they get theirs, you
get yours.”
Red Blake (Army)
The Assistant as a member of a
coaching staff
• Loyalty. Use and refer to the head coach’s
philosophy for everything.
• Get in or get out! Do not --tch about the
scheme if you don’t know it, or failed to try
and develop it.
• Recognize that many of your fellow
assistants are competitive people.
• Do anything you can to increase your
knowledge base...be willing to learn!
• Fit in...be social...this is important!
• Stay away from secret meetings.
• Never, never, never disagree in front of
your players.
“It appears that this new “Staff
Chemistry” thing is in all the
winning teams… what the
!*!?$#...you fellas git out there,
find out how do we get us some?”
Jim Owens (UW)
“Teamwork??? Hmm, ah, em,
let’s see…I think that this
teamwork thing is a bunch of guys
in a big ‘ol hurry…doing exactly
what I tell them to do.”
Vince Dooley (Georgia)
The Assistant coach as a “teacher”
of your sport
•
Loyalty. Use and refer to the head
coach’s philosophy on everything.
•
Integrity and veracity. They won’t play for
a Phony-Ass coach. They will smell you
a mile away!
Be ready to be gone (home, girlfriend,
boyfriend, etc.).
Know their names! Treat the 3rd stringer
the same as the starter.
•
•
…as a top “Assistant” to the Head
Coach
• Loyalty. Use and refer to the head coach’s
philosophy on everything.
• Become indispensable. Period.
• Ask how to help... then take the lousy
assignment that he assigns.
• Anticipate needs...be like “Radar” and shield the
head coach as much as possible from
distractions.
• No detail or job is “not your job” (ESPECIALLY
EQUIPMENT!!)
The Assistant Coach as a positive
ambassador for your sport
• Loyalty. Use and refer to the head coach’s
philosophy on everything.
• Don’t talk! (faculty, parents, press, community,
other players)
• Do talk about: student/athletes, safety,
sportsmanship, training rules, quality opponents,
and team work.
• Work to gain a positive “Coach” image.
• Go very easy on hard language.
• Leave your colors at home when in bars, “at
outings,” etc.
• BE DRESSED AT EVERY PRACTICE!!!
• How you look in all your fancy stuff on game
days does not always reflect on your mission or
quality of instruction.
…a few actual Head Coach’s
comments on their former
assistants…
• 2004...”This guy sets very low personal and professional
goals and constantly fails to achieve them.”
• 2000...”____ he only coaches like I expect him to with
constant supervision…and he is cornered like a rat in
trap.”
• 1999...”_____has incredible, vivid delusions of being an
adequate coach.”
• 2003...”_____fails to attend meetings...even when he is
there in the room!”
…here’s some news
for you Head Coaches!
•Your staff needs passion. Surround yourself with people
that can’t live without the game.
•Create and publish your expectations. If they know what
you want, and if they don’t do it….
•Be ready to allow your staff to contribute and develop
scheme.
•Watch for people that are good teachers. They will naturally
learn to be good coaches.
•Be a social leader.
•Staffs that are “in-bred” like a bunch of rats need to be
made uncomfortable at times.
Papasedero’s comments about a
couple of Head Coaches…
• “I thought I had seen every kind…but this guy looks like
his last job was that bartender in the Star Wars movie.”
• “…he is not really a “has been”, more like a never will
be.”
• “He has a heart problem…he has no heart.”
• “…he will bring great joy to this ball club…when he
quits.”
• “I swear he doesn’t know what is going on out there…in
here…over there…or any damn where!”
Coaching the JV, Frosh,
or “C” teams?
“The more you can do,
the more you can do.”
The Team?
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Develop players for the future?
Feed the current seasons’ older teams?
Help the varsity win?
Teach your team to win? or compete?
Groom position players? “Magic Ball?”
Develop and foster history, tradition, etc.
Establish a niche within each class?
Put “the young ones” on the map (in league)?
The Coach?
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•
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Learn baby, learn!
Be puppet-like for the boss
Make your team the “big time”
Find a way to be a program wide expert!
Prepare like it is HUGE!
Make a unique name for yourself
Be there…be a pest…be deserving
The JV or C team Player?
Fundamentals are the most important
And…
Winning is the most important
And…
Having fun is the most important
Which is it?
To all assistant coaches…
another idea for you!
• Visibility and active support for all of the
other sports is an easy way to show your
players that we care about them.
• Your players will recognize truth, empathy,
honest support, and acceptance of them
as “people,” not just as players.
• The community will also “see you there”
and celebrate your dedication to their kids.
Attention JV, Frosh and “C” team coaches!!!
In most systems you are asked to do the
most…with the least. Tough! Shake it off!
Get with it or get out of it!
“It is awfully hard to get them young dogs to
hunt…but I keep sending them back out
there so they will make us all fat.”
…even in “The Holy Play Book”
“There was a very wise, popular, extremely wellconnected Head Coach of a desperate team in
a hell of a tough league…
His team was called “The Israelites,”
His name was Abraham,
and…
…he died leaning on his staff!!