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By: Scott Whitlock - Kennesaw State I will be the first to admit that I have been very lucky in this business. My career has allowed me to live a life which most softball coaches can only dream of. I have won national championships, coached All-Americans and served on the USA National Team coaching staff. I cannot explain my good fortune but when asked to try, I find myself returning to the same four guidelines.
Surround Yourself with Good People This one is so basic it should go without saying. If you trust and believe in the people you work with, it makes everything easier.
Be Flexible Without Bending Your Principles Any coach who wishes to enjoy longevity in the coaching world must be a person of principle. You must have specific things in which you believe; you must never waiver from those beliefs; and you must be consistent and fair in upholding and administering those beliefs. With all of that being said, if a coach is too rigid and cannot to learn to cope with the fact people are "different," it is likely he/she will eventually fail. The frustration will eventually consume him/her. The trick to this trade is selling one's principles to people with different attitudes and life views without bending or abandoning your own principles. In short, a coach must find a way to sell each individual, be it player or parent, on his/her master plan. I have always had a pretty good handle on my principles (both personally and professionally); however, I am only now becoming proficient in using various methods to instill my principles into my players. It took me a long time to realize that people can have different approaches but the same principles. When I became more flexible with my players and stopped banging my head against a brick wall in an attempt to have everyone "see life my way," I found that I could still get individuals who were willing to buy into what I was trying to do, motivate them to work hard and live principled lives daily. I was a lot less frustrated and, not surprisingly, the team's productivity improved. Trust What You Know But Know That You Don't Know Enough Although you must coach with confidence, you must come to grips with the fact that you must continue to learn. Ours is an ever-changing sport. The game, the athletes, the coaches, the parents, the fans, etc. never stop changing. Even the preferred techniques of teaching our game's skills continue to evolve. If you as a coach do not continue to study the game and be committed to learning you will soon be lagging behind. I know that anytime I become complacent, my work and the team suffers. We preach to our players to "get better," "work harder," and "improve," yet we coaches are often slow to change or try something new. To be the best coach that you can be, you must remember to be the best student that you can be. I have been very fortunate and continue to have great teachers. I hope to be a student of the game for as long as I am involved in the sport. Don't Confuse" Winning" and "Success" Somewhere along the way many coaches started using "Winning" and "Success" interchangeably. In many minds "Winning" has become a definitive measurement of "Success." I do not subscribe to that notion. I believe that "Winning" is one of many possible byproducts of "Success" and "Success" can be achieved even when a team has a losing season or never wins a single game. I also think that one can "Win" and, in some scenarios, not actually be successful.
I truly feel that coaches should aspire for "success" and should not allow themselves to become a prisoner of "winning". I know … I've been there. Early in my career we were winning and I was worried and/or unhappy, that's messed-up. If we won in a rout, I was disappointed by "our not being tested," when we won a close game, I'd worry about how "we had nearly lost," and when we did lose I would view myself and my team as failures. I was so wrong in my approach. As I matured, I came to realize that if one measures "success" by a winning percentage, they have little (if any) chance be happy or fulfilled. After that revelation, I started trying to figure out what really brings me happiness and what really makes me feel good about coaching. I found that it wasn't "winning" that fulfilled me; it was "SUCCESS." I found that I thrive on the success of taking 18 young people from different backgrounds and molding a team; the success of teaching new skills or improving an already talented player's skill sets; the success of seeing a player leave KSU with a degree and knowing that I was a part of it.. I am trying harder than ever to not be driven by winning and know that if I constantly pursue "success," the wins will follow. These four guidelines have proven to be vital assets throughout my career. I recommend that you find a set of guidelines that will work for you. Good Luck! About the Author... Scott Whitlock is one of the all-time winningest and most respected coaches in NCAA softball. During his illustrious career, he has garnered two national titles, 13 regional crowns and more personal accolades than can be mentioned. He is the driving force that has made Kennesaw State softball one of the most admired and respected programs in the country. After successful runs at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, Whitlock has carried his success into Division I. The Bostwick, Ga. native has compiled a 166-110 overall record within D-I since guiding the Owls to the top level of collegiate softball beginning in the 2006 season. In 2010, Whitlock led the Black and Gold to its first-ever conference tournament and No. 3-seed in the six-team field. A 27-26 record marked the fourth time in five seasons he has led the Owls to a winning record after making the transition to Division I. In his club's first season as a D-I competitor, Whitlock led his squad to a 38-17 record followed by a 44-20 mark in 2007 which produced an Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title. He continued to keep his club performing at a high level in 2008, leading the Owls to a 36-17 mark. In five seasons as a member of the A-Sun, Whitlock's teams have posted an impressive 61-39 record. Legendary is a word that is often overused, but it is appropriate when describing Whitlock's career. A total of 51 All-Americans can attest to that. He can inspire his teams to always bring their best games to the diamond and his drive to take his players to a higher level while playing against the best competition in the nation. The two national championships are proof. Whitlock guided the Owls to back-to-back Division II National Championships in 1995 and 1996. He has a career winning percentage of .797 and boasts a gaudy 901-229 record over his 20 seasons of coaching at the fastpitch level, putting him near the top in most NCAA softball coaching categories. Under Whitlock, Kennesaw State has posted four winning streaks of more than 30 games. Only the University of Arizona has more 30-plus game winning streaks in their history with five. While at the helm of the Owls, Whitlock produced 18 consecutive 35-win seasons from 1991 to 2008; he has had fifteen 40-win campaigns and has had four seasons in which he has won 50 or more games. Additionally, Whitlock led the Owls to nine consecutive seasons (1992-2000) in which his teams never lost more than a single-digit number of games. Every year from 1991 through 2002, Whitlock had the Owls ranked in the top 10 nationally at the season's end. Perhaps one of the finest two-year runs in softball history came during the 1999-2000 seasons, when the Owls combined for 108 wins. Whitlock's 108-15 record (.878) marked two of the eight times in which he finished the year ranked in the top four. Whitlock's ability to coach is surpassed only by his ability to recruit. The Owls have been laden with talent during the past 16 years. Over the manicured turf of Owl Field stepped 51 All-Americans. There have been 24 First Team All-American selections, 19 Second Team selections and eight Third Team honorees. During his storied tenure with the Owls, Whitlock has also produced a pair of Catcher-of-the-Year Award winners in Audra Thomas and Blake Baskin. Thomas, a two-time recipient, won the award in 1999 and 2000 while Baskin gave Kennesaw State its third straight award winner in 2001. The accolades have continued to pour in at the Division I level, as he has already coached an Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year (Keri McKee-2007), Pitcher of the Year (Brittany Matthews-2007) and Freshman of the Year (Ashlee Burkett-2010). Whitlock himself has earned A-Sun Coach of the Year honors twice since joining the conference, in 2006 and 2007. Two-time Olympian, Colleen Thorburn (Canada), honed her skills under Whitlock in the early days of the program, while Whitlock's international experience helped to develop third baseman Sarah Lockett, as she was selected to participate on Great Britain's National Team in 2003. For his lifetime of hard work, dedication and success, Whitlock was granted the highest honor of his profession when he was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Hall of Fame in Orlando, Florida. He was also part of the class of 2010 inductees into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame. There is no doubt that Whitlock is one of the finest coaches and recruiters in fastpitch softball. However, there is more to the Owls head coach than his on the field success. In 2001, Whitlock joined other successful head coaches such as Florida State head football coach Bobby Bowden and University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt as a contributor to Dr. Stephen Brennan's book "Six Psychological Factors for Success." In addition, Whitlock has written numerous articles for the NFCA's Fastpitch Delivery Magazine. In December of 2003, Whitlock received another honor when he became a member of the Cherry Hill, New Jersey based "Be the Best You Are" Softball Clinic Speakers' Hall of Fame. In the off-season, Whitlock spends much of his time working with young softball players around the country. He is the owner of Championship Softball Camps, a regional venture that draws over 500 young softball players annually. Whitlock is also a contributor to Arizona head coach Mike Candrea's summer camp. Whitlock has also spent time on the coaching staff of the United States National Softball Team. In 2006, he traveled with the squad and was a member of the USA staff that guided the U.S. to gold medal wins at the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City and the ISF Women's World Championship in Beijing, China. The 2007 summer saw Whitlock serve again as a member of the national team staff, as they captured the Canada Cup and World Cup titles. Whitlock was also a key figure in the Owls move into their new state-of-the-art facility, the Bobbie Bailey Complex. The complex, which opened in February 2004, is considered by many as one of the crown jewels of fastpitch facilities. During the planning process, Whitlock aided in fund-raising activities and was instrumental in the facility's design and amenities. During the off-season, Whitlock's quick humor and affable personality makes him one of the most sought- after speakers in the country. His name is a fixture on the programs of some of the country's top softball and baseball clinics. His expertise in the field is sought out by his peers, aspiring coaches and coaching professionals not only from the United States, but also from around the world. Whitlock is an avid golfer and is a big fan of college football and NASCAR. He is also a classic country music aficionado and is a big fan of the works of Hank Williams Sr. Whitlock is married to Kennesaw State's SAAC Coordinator and Physical Education instructor, Susan Blakely Whitlock. He and his wife make their home in Marietta, Ga., and are the proud parents of daughter Lacey and son Blake. |
Four Guidelines for Any Coach