A new age in coaching: Building character versus building muscles

The Wiggins school athletic program is beginning a new coaching style that focuses on building character rather than muscle.

During the school board’s meeting on Wednesday, athletic director Aaron Phillips gave a report on the school’s adoption of the InSideOut Coaching Initiative. InSideOut is based on a book by Joe Ehrmann on how to use sports to improve the lives of student athletes. Several Wiggins coaches have already gone through workshops on the initiative, and Phillips wants to make it the standard for the whole athletic program.

“It’s something we’re kind of in the infant stages of, but it’s something we’re really going to dive into,” Phillips said.

He showed a video about the program, which featured Ehrmann and other coaches arguing that school sports should be about helping students build character, rather than just win games. They encouraged coaches to focus on helping students learn skills they can use in the real world, such as teamwork and perseverance.

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