For a coach to lead a football, basketball, or any team he needs to establish some important principles within the team. Among these are honesty, loyalty and a good work ethic. The coach needs to have a vision and a mission to persuade his group to perform at the highest level. The team who works together to achieve their shared goals will do so with a greater sense of purpose. Their energy levels will be higher and this positive behavior will tend to increase the team's self-discipline. These higher energy levels and self-discipline can also lesson attitude problems both on and off the field.

Honesty involves trust. A coach must always be honest with his team. If he lies, deceives or manipulates, then the players won't trust him. To be a good successful team, it must have trust in its coach. If the coach promises to play someone, but plays another person instead, then the trust is broken and harm is done to the team. But honesty can also work both ways. If a player lies to his coach and the coach discovered the deception, then his trust in the player would be lost. Honesty and trust should be high on the list of priorities right from the start with no exceptions.

Loyalty is another responsibility that works both ways. If a coach is loyal to his team and truly cares about the players, then he will gain their loyalty in return. For example, if a player was told by his peers that he didn't have the ability to play a certain position, but the coach believed that he did have the ability and tells him he will put him in and does so, that player will demonstrate his loyalty by his greater effort on the field.

A sound work ethic is another important priority. This won't guarantee victory on the field, but will enrich and help the program to succeed. The coach is the role model for the diligence and initiative that success requires. While work and practice are definitely necessary in the athletic program, it must be kept in perspective. Overdoing practices can be counter productive by producing injuries, high tensions, adverse attitudes and even "staleness" in the second half of a season. A day off for relaxation and family time is critical to rejuvenate the juices and attitudes.

If the program has it's foundation in trust, loyalty and hard work, then success on the field is much more obtainable! Players should be treated as one would like to be treated oneself. Humiliation or tearing down a team member by using personal attacks has no place in the coach's program. Of course, players need to be corrected and shown the right procedures, but such practices as demeaning the player, or challenging his worth as a person is an extremely worthless and poorly thought out practice used by an uncaring coach. Trust, loyalty and good hard work that is applied and practiced regularly will win out both on the field and in an athlete's journey through life!