Monthly Archives: February 2018

It’s Worth It

Coaching career

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It’s supposed to be hard. All of us coaches have our sayings and that’s mine…especially when we’re getting in some conditioning. The point to the team is, don’t be surprised that this is hard work, that’s the intent.

I sure hope no one told you coaching would be easy. Rewarding? Fulfilling? Awesome? Amazing? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. But easy? Nope! Though I don’t know if “easy” was ever the intent…it’s supposed to be hard work.

So how will you do it?

Dream Big: Since you’re working hard, you might as well dream big. Dream so big that it makes you a little nervous. You challenge your athletes to push themselves outside of their comfort zones and I think you owe it to them to do the same.

Stay Focused: It’s nice to receive validation from others, but don’t expect everyone to believe in your dream. If it’s appropriately big, people around you will be skeptical…and that’s okay. You should be fixated on your dream, not other people’s opinion of it.

Surround Yourself With Good People. Your players, your assistant coaches, all of the folks who will help your team succeed. Your job here is to create culture. Make sure all of these people understand your vision for the team.

Good luck to you, Coach.

It’s hard work. And it’s worth it.

I’m embarking on a series where we reaffirm why we do what we do. Please join me.

Where Are You Going?

Coaching career,

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Why do you coach?

Is it because you love your sport? You love the athletes? Is it because you enjoy being around young people? I enjoy asking that question…I wrote about it here.

Another fair question of a coach or any profession, is where are you going? Where do you expect coaching to take you? When will you say, “This is what I’ve been working for!”? There’s got to be an end game, a goal, some measurement that says, “I’m finished” or “I’ve succeeded”.

What’s your destination?

Championships won: Perhaps you got into coaching because you want to win a lot. Awesome! What’s “a lot”? Every destination needs a map, how are you going to get there? Winning is fun, it’s addictive, and it’s hard work. Be sure to surround yourself (personally and professionally) with people who support, and don’t hinder, that good work.

Lives touched: Coaching is a people business. Coaches impact young people at formative times in their lives. When their time with you is over, what do you want your former players to say of you? That you were fair? Tough? Challenged them? Loved them? Believed in them? Decide who you want to be and go about being that person.

Maybe you have some other marker that you’ve identified as knowing when you’ve “made it”. Be sure you’re checking in with yourself, ideally after each season. That way, you can be sure you’re making steady progress toward your destination.

 

I’m embarking on a series where we reaffirm why we do what we do. Please join me.

Believe in Yourself

Coaching career,

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To: Young coach.

From: Someone who has been in the game for a while.

It’s easy to believe the negative stuff. A player challenges how you teach a skill and you wonder if they’re right, maybe this other coach they had was better than you. A parent is grumping to you about playing time for their kid and you wonder whether you want to listen to that kind of nonsense every season. Another recruit says, “Thanks, but no thanks.” *sigh*

Take a deep breath.

You’re forgetting about the athlete who finally “got it” after doing what you’ve been asking them to do. Or what about that parent who took time to thank you for working with their kid? And remember that game-changer recruit who had you jumping up and down in your living room when they finally said, “Yes.”?

It’s not all bad.

Get better. If you’re not always trying to learn, whether from coaches within your sport or those outside, you’re doomed to stagnation. Stay fresh, keep learning.

Evaluate yourself. At the end of each season, go over everything with a fine tooth comb. Identify areas of success that you can expand upon, as well as areas that just didn’t work and need to be scrapped.

Define culture. Figure out what traits you want your team, and those associated with it (including parents), to have and go about creating that culture.

Be confident. You’re going to make mistakes or make the wrong decision…that doesn’t make you a bad coach. Good coaches learn from those mistakes and decisions and use them to become even better. My guess is that there are a whole lot of championships built upon mountains of mistakes!

So, young coach, believe in yourself. Learn from the bad stuff and don’t forget about the good.

 

I’m embarking on a series where we reaffirm why we do what we do. Please join me.

Ode to Coaching

Coaching career

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Keep coaching.

There. I said it. Don’t give up on coaching.

It’s a great career where you make a tangible difference in young people’s lives.

Yes, it has long (thankless) hours. Yes, the parents can be overbearing. Yes, it’s easier for the athlete to blame you, Coach, rather than take personal ownership. Yes, you have to think of one hundred ways to say the exact same thing. (Like, literally, the exact same thing.)

But, you enjoy mentoring young people, don’t you, Coach? You enjoy hearing about how they finally “got it”…whether it’s in their athletic, academic, or personal lives. You understand that you may not always get a “thank you”, but it means a lot when you do. You enjoy your sport and love seeing young people who share your passion.

So…don’t stop coaching.

We need you.

 

I’m embarking on a series where we reaffirm why we do what we do. Please join me.