Cupertino High School Track page

Cupertino High School Track and Field 2017

Home of the Pioneers
Head Coach Paul Armstrong

COACHING PHILOSOPHY or WHAT I BELIEVE IN

THIS IS A COMPETITIVE SITUATION, NOT A PARTICIPATORY ONE.
All athletic endeavors begin and end with overall fitness.

1. Every kid deserves to be coached.
2. I coach more than just the sport when appropriate.
3. I try not to do things that will hurt the athlete. I use short term and long term thinking.
4. I plan all of my workouts in advance and revise them as needed during the season.
5. Everyone should be respected.
6. Academics come first before athletics, but good time management is expected and required to do well in both.
7. I use time management and goal setting for both athlete and coach. We discuss various ways to do both.
8. Having fun is important, but it is not the primary goal.
9. I do not tolerate second rate effort easily.
10. Parents are part of the process. Stay informed and be involved.
11. The goal is for everyone to improve from the beginning of the season to the end and/or from last season to this season.
12. Retention of committed athletes is important.
13. We work on relaxation, focusing, and mental preparation.
14. Asset management is important.
15. I think and coach short term and long term.
16. I teach and coach to the success process model. See explanation below.
17. Track and Field is not easier than PE class.
18. We look for events that might be better short or long term when appropriate.
19. Winning is not necessary to be successful, but to be successful you must improve. We believe in continuous improvement.

I define the success process model as a construct that produces results by breaking down the end goal into milestone success points and simple segments that allow the goal(s) to be understood and reached. That means every practice and meet must produce a result that will lead to the final meet. The final meet is the last success measuring point. In cross country, milestones such as minimum mileage, the 5:00/6:00 first mile, the 24 200s, the 12 400s are established. The fitness course, Saturday
long runs, crunches, push-ups, rest days, weight training, stretching, race and course strategies, etc. are all segments that go toward meeting the goals. In track and field, much of the same milestones are used along with event specific drills and exercises. Everything is designed to come together by the end of the season. It is similar to putting a puzzle together. You decide where to start and complete parts based upon what's working or which pieces are available, adjusting the completion strategy along the way as needed.