Live to Love, Love to Live

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
-John Wooden

John Wooden would start out each and every pre-season with teaching his player's how to tie their shoes. He said this quote concerning such things as tying shoes. He knew that if his player's did not tie their shoes right they not only would have to retie them, but their focus would be deterred from playing.

During my pre-season at Indiana University Coach Jerry Yeagley would say to us all the time to stop walking barefoot. He said, "Your feet are like surgeons hands, you cannot afford to mess them up with a little piece of glass on the ground". It was so true, but as young adults we thought it was silly. He was right and he taught us many other things along those lines.

Good coaches teach their kids the things they can control. They teach them how to tie their shoes, to not walk around without shoes/sandals, to eat breakfast in the morning, to eat all three meals, to address pain when it arises, to stretch properly, to train hard and then leave everything out on the field, and to be a good team mate.

John Wooden focused on the little details and in doing that his player's controlled the things they could control and the things they could not control they left out on the court everyday. Be a teacher of the game and through your lessons your player's will use those fundamentals of success for not only on the court/pitch/field but in their life after sports.

A coach is a lot like a Father and for some, like in my case, more of a Father than some have ever known.

Oh Maddie girl. When we have a child one day you are going to be so much fun with them. This past April 17th Maddies had her first birthday. We bough her a big rope ball that she found a way to tear up in a day and this big rubber ball that has holes in it. We love the rubber ball because it is easy to grab with our toes or fingers and play with her. But, this is our most favorite thing to watch Maddie do. She loves to get two different toys in her mouth at a time. Specifically a bone and a ball. Watch as she tries to pick up her ball while having the bone in her mouth. She absolutely loves doing this. While she tries to get the ball though she kicks it around like a soccer player. Yes, she is Daddy's girl.

"Trials become a university where we learn early on where to best place our physical, intellectual and spiritual resources."
-Barry C. Black, Chaplain of the United States Senate and former Rear Admiral Chaplain for the Navy, Marines, and Coast.

I love this quote. It is simple, but there is so much to it. Imagine being a chaplain for men who had the potential of dying. What do you tell them that would be encouraging but still relevant to their lives?

I feel the same goes for coaches in a way. You have to balance what to say to your player's that not only motivates and encourages them, but is relevant to what they are going through.

There are things we Must learn through experience. If we constantly tell our player's the answer, then there are certain things that will not stick with them. Also, they will rely on people and coaches to give them the answers all the time. Good coaches know the right coaching moments.

Use trials to encourage growth in your players. They must realize that each trial/problem they come in contact with is a chance to learn. The great part about being a coach, is that a lesson like this will help that player for the rest of their lives. Do not see yourself as just a coach that needs results in a game. Realize that as a coach you are able to and obligated to help teach and grow a person. You can be a catalyst to not only make them a better player, but to build up their character. See yourself as the professor in the university of trials. Not only will your player's be tested on the field, but they will be tested in real life. Take pride when your player's pass tests in games, but take more pride when they make the right decisions off the field and pass those tests.

I encourage coaches to right things down during a game. Then at halftime to go over the points with the assistant coaches. The players not only get a chance to get a breath but you also can take a breath. You can gather your words and the important topics that need to be said and then present them. Another reason this idea works is that it helps to filter out the things that do not need to be said. Sometimes there can be too much information and the player's will not remember it or they will start to zone out.

Encourage growth, but do not let them focus on mistakes too long. Where battles are lost in the mind is when a player thinks about mistakes too long. Help train your player's to learn that lesson and move on and think about what is next.

QOTW: Would you be a dog or cat and why?
I would be a dog. The things that hold me back from being a dog is: rolling in poop or dead things for fun, licking their butts and their man/woman businesses, licking feet (unless it really does taste that good), and well that is all I have for right now.