This article is discusses the coaching philosophy of Sir Alex Ferguson, the soccer manager for Manchester United. Three of the characteristics he pursues as mentioned in the article are observation, imagination, and communication. While these characteristics are covered in other articles, Ferguson has a unique spin on them as his approach suggests a more distant role in which one acts as a facilitator who communicates concise inspiration. As I will acknowledge the fact coaching at different levels requires varying characteristics in coaches, this article will lend itself well to describing the attributes of a winning coach at the professional level.

"Talking too much is a big danger for a coach." This pitfall will belong in the part of my paper where I address the attributes of poor coaching. Like most good speeches, concise is best.

"As a young coach Ferguson thought up creative ways of coaching to inspire his players. 'you create a chain reaction which produces thinking players and this is a wonderful thing to develop' he says." This article helps to identify the importance that a coach realize his role in the process; this article will be crucial for my paper when I specify that the coach is merely the catalyst of the chain reaction (like the start of a Rube Goldberg machine). A good coach, if he's done his job well, need only light the fire.

"It is a good idea to stand back sometimes and watch someone else coach while you observe the players." This testimony of a man in the trenches, Manchester United's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, suggests that being too close to the action can make a coach myopic; once again, another article gives an aspect not addressed in any of the other articles. Taking the role of spectator can be enlightening to a coach.

This article by Kirk O. Hanson and Matt Savage discusses the ethics of sports. Primarily, it addresses the winning-is-everything mentality in some sports programs. The article acknowledges the responsibility of both coach and athlete in the participation of what is deemed "gamesmanship." This article will be helpful when addressing the morality that must be inherent in a good coach.

This book is a collection of superstitions in sports. While the word "superstition" itself tends to carry with it a lack of credibility, the basis for sports superstitions sometimes carries with it implications for coaching. In particular, this book alludes to what is called the "captain's curse." This curse is explained in detail in the book, but, in general, for the purpose of my paper, the curse impacts good coaching as a good coach will realize how the dynamics of a team will change by the naming of a captain. Largely, this book will add whimsical anecdotes to my paper.

This book by Brian Kilmeade is a collection of the experiences of a collection of top athletes. One of the themes that resonates throughout most, if not all, of the stories is that sports prepares one for life. This aspect will be most helpful in the paper to emphasize the importance of good coaching, for, if a coach does a poor job, the inference is that the athlete will be ill-prepared for life.

One of the key contents of this book is a list of "Bill of Rights" for young athletes that was drawn up by a youth sports task force created by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. The book also highlights goal setting and includes varying viewpoints of the atmosphere under which athletes are tasked to perform. From youth participants to Willie Mays, the analysis yields an undesirable atmosphere.

Written by the University of Kentucky's head basketball coach, John Calipari, this book addresses the importance of coaches developing players beyond their physical abilities. Winning teams have winning people. One of the key ideas addressed in this book is the turnover of college athletes as the lure of professional sports draws some of the top talent away.

In this book, Ralph Pim delineates between phrases which are useful to use for players, teams, parents, media, banquets, and inspiration. This book will be particularly helpful when I discuss the well-chosen phrase versus the poorly-chosen phrase. The book underscores the importance of good communication in good coaching.

This article discusses attributes not covered by previous articles. Of the attributes covered are that a good coach is both reflective and empathetic. Also, it notes that a good coach is secure enough to surround himself with quality support staff. This article can be used to "build" the ultimate coach.

"Because of this, Elliott said, the coaches and other athletic support staff, along with other faculty and staff, have a responsibility to help the players become more than just good football players, but to really help 'define what type of men they're going to be for the rest of their lives.'" This quote helped me to realize that I need to add a section to the paper that suggests that a coach is only as good as the people he or she surrounds him- or her- self with. Developing great athletes is a team effort.

"His [Tony Elliott's] own experiences taught him to 'be empathetic to understand what they're [players of different backgrounds] going through and push them to overcome.'" This quote showcases one of the most important traits of an effective coach: empathy. Good coaches walk a mile in their athletes' shoes (which implies that a coach must know his athletes, as well).

"'Ultimately, your experiences and what you learned along the way help you to define your character,' he [Tony Elliott] says." This quote demonstrates the importance of reflection which should be covered in the body of the paper. You must know yourself to know what you bring to the table concerning coaching.

This article uses the success of Shane Elizabeth Gould to highlight the significance of the science of kinesiology with respect to a thorough understanding of the athlete. This article is pertinent to my paper as coaching has many mental aspects, but a good coach will be knowledgeable in ways to maximize the performance of his or her athletes. The article gives very specific, fact-based examples of the science of performance and will, therefore, support the part of my paper that stresses a coach's need to be knowledgeable. This article will be useful in developing the insistence that I have that coaches need to be more than directors or cheerleaders; they need to be scientists.

"...high protein diets followed for a long period of time may actually harm performance." This information would fit well into a part of the paper that debunks perpetuated myths of athletics; sometimes these myths are fostered by well-meaning but misleading coaches. Coaches need to possess factual knowledge about athletes' diets rather than the supposed knowledge spread through advertisement.

"According to Edholm, no improvement will occur unless the exercise is done at 50 per cent or more of the maximum possible. However, practice has shown that 70 per cent is a more realistic figure and one that is universally used." This information will be used to bolster the fact that a good coach must not only have the personality and the heart but also the exercise science knowledge. A good coach would serve his athletes best by knowing the levels of intensity at which each athlete should operate for optimum results.

"The most remarkable finding is that the amount of training needed to produce an improvement is very small. One maximal contraction [of a muscle] each day, maintained for less than a minute." This quote (and its source) will be crucial for my paper by lending science to my stance rather than just opinion. Once again, quality over quantity brings success.

"...too much quantity and not enough quality training..." This quote, while derived from an athlete's perspective, pinpoints a quality of good coaching: drills with purpose other than mere exercise; as such, this source will be helpful for a section of the paper that directly address the look of a successful practice. Quality over quantity brings success.

This article delineates ten attributes of a good coach. One of the key points made, apart from the attributes, is the fact that the coach is a role model. Another key point is that a good coach holds high standards, for him- or her- self and for the athletes. This article will be useful for emphasizing the responsibilities of, as well as the attributes of, a good coach within the body of the paper.

"Communicate well." While this limited quote might be construed as meaning to communicate well with words, the extended explanation will work well in the paper in both a 'what you do' section and a 'what you say' section. Be mindful of body language as well as speech.

"Teach skills and demonstrate." When describing the attributes of a good coach, there will be things that they do and things that they say; this quote will support a part of the paper in which I address learners with different learning styles (auditory, visual, and haptic). When one is shown as well as verbally instructed, the likelihood is that the execution will be more like what the coach intends.

"Be positive." This directive seems to be a "no-brainer" but is crucial to include in the list of the characteristics of a good coach. Uplifting energy yields better results than negativity.

This article discusses the characteristics of a good coach from the perspective of teenagers. While other sources which address the characteristics of a good high school, college, or professional coach will be important to include, as well, this source is important because it highlights how early on kids can differentiate between good and bad coaching. In doing so, this article emphasizes the importance of feeder programs. The testimonials of this article will be used to support a section of my paper which will address the importance of good coaching at all levels.

"Madison, 15, offered this advice, 'You practice more than three times the amount that you play in a game, and if you're dreading practice, the sport isn't for you. Find something that you love unconditionally, all the time!'" This reminder will work well when addressing the "other side" as it acknowledges that serious athletics includes monotony (for muscle memory) as well as cross-training (for muscle confusion). Reflecting on how you feel about practice can help an athlete determine whether he or she is participating in A sport or participating in THEIR sport!

"Katelyn, 16, said, 'My basketball coach would never punish us with running because he saw no point in making us hate something we should love,'" Another testimonial, this quote stresses one of my irritations, the lack of creativity in some coaches; this will work well when developing the characteristics of a good coach. Calisthenics should be varied and never used as punishment.

"'A good coach understands that respect is to be earned and understands that they do not control the team, they are part of the team,' said Rebecca, 13." While papers are typically developed resorting to expert opinion; when it comes to sports, athletes--both young and old--know what motivates them. Earn respect do not command it.

As the title suggests, this article discusses 10 strategies to employ and attitudes to both possess and convey in an effort to coach effectively. The 10 strategies and attitudes highlight three aspects about coaching. These include: make the sport fun (after all, it's why the participants are there in the first place); know who you're coaching (the participants, like all people, want to be validated); and the skills being taught to be successful in the sport are skills that will translate to being successful in life. This article will be helpful when highlighting the pitfalls of some coaching strategies, or it can be used when wrapping up the paper in an effort to stress the importance of coaching--beyond the game!

"Develop Confidence in Every Player!" The way this quote is developed in the article only scratches the surface; I would use it to stress my philosophy, which is that TOI is detrimental when the foundation is not strong. The most effective teams are confident on both a team and an individual level.

"Help your players develop a short-term memory." While the previous quote was about timing, this quote is about a specific strategy that a coach wants to instill in his or her players and will be useful when discussing the "ideal" coaching philosophy. Players need to learn to change what they can and to not dwell on what they cannot.

"Minimize Coaching DURING the GAME!" This will be useful in differentiating between what to do before, during, and after the game. The majority of coaching should happen before and after the game, not during.