Thoughts

Every now and then we should just sit and think.  Never know what you will come up with.

• Success has a price and players have to know that they have to pay it just as much as you and your staff have to.
• Success does have downpayments: work ethic, discipline, preparation, consistency.
• We are the sum total of the experiences we’ve had and the people we’ve met.  What have you done?  Who have you associated with?
• Preparation is so important because it can help eliminate fear and doubt.
• Before we can eliminate excuses that keep us from improving we have to recognize what those excuses are.  Write down your top three excuses and then eliminate them for the next month.  This will create a habit of not using them any more!
• It’s very important to  take a close look at your locker room.  Whose voices are being heard?  Are these the messages that you would want being sent?
• What messages are on your locker room wall?  May seem corny but it’s something that players will see — and probably read — almost every day!
• Never be concerned about repeating a message; repetitive verbal teaching is a great form of teaching.  Teaching doesn’t always have to be physical.

Training beyond the Limits

A. Coaching

• Nothing magical about coaching you just have to have 2 intangibles Passion and Ability to Keep Learning

1. Passion

• Your example is not the main thing in influencing players – IT’S THE ONLY THING!

Examples of Passion

• Claps

• Tone of voice

• Body language

• On hands with players – clay – you are the potter -”Look” the part

o 8 hrs sleep

o Eat right

o Exercise

o Endorphins release a fresh spirit

• Demonstrate with your mind and body

• Sweat with them, run, walk, slide

• Be a story teller – inspire them (film) – NEVER have a Silent gym (hear coach every 6- 8seconds) – You see passion, you feel passion!

2. Ability to Keep Learning

• Be able to change for the better. Never be satisfied personally with good, it’s the enemy of great!

• Sometimes you WANT to feel like you’re the stupidest in the room

• You get an extra 182 hrs a year if you subtract 30mins of TV time a day. You always can find time.

• Have a passion for self improvement. How?

• Clinics, camps, watch other coaches, film, Google, read books, youtube, cold calls/emails

• The key is to take great notes so you can retrieve, review, then reinforce

B. Two things Kill your Coaching and your Career: Boredom and Fatgue

1. Boredom

• Coach has to have energy (passion)

• Except for beginner sports, keep score on every drill

• Make every drill competitive – time, number, winner

• Go 10-15 minutes one on none, then go 10 minutes 1 on 1, 2 on 2 etc..

• Music during practice

• Innovative drills – disruptors like cones, tennis balls, paddles, 2 balls

• Find 50 ways to teach same skill. I am a big believer of variety of drills

• Peer coaching – players OWN the drill

• Either before or after practice relate lesson of the day to life – sport is just platform for life

2. Fatigue

• Mind set of

o “You are not allowed to be tired” (Celtics)

o “Get Past Hard” (Patriots)

o Don’t Workout “Blackout”(Kobe)

• Make drills on the clock

• Simulate game conditions to work on game conditioning – don’t just run

• Would you enjoy your practice

• Make it fun (USA today research)

• Rest – more gold medals were lost with over training than under training

• Unless you are working on technique push their bodies past what they would go in the game. Go beyond game speed

C. Coaching Is an Investment not an Entitlement, Invest in the: Kids and The Game

1. Kids

• They have to trust you

• You can’t build trust if you don’t have a relationship with them

• How?

• Social media

• Take a walk and talk with your players vs sit behind a desk and be the judge, jury, and executioner

• Lunch, happy meal, ice cream

• Work them out before or after practice – rebound for them – be a time giver not time stealer

• Ask them questions in practice – involve them

• Don’t BS them – tell them the Truth

• They want to be challenged, confronted. Stretch their mind and body to a place where it’s never been Ex- D. Rose story

• Teach them what they don’t know – details – have them keep a notebook.

• Work out with them – make them feel you are with them and not above them

2. The Game – Be a Teacher/ Coach

• We already talked about learning

• Understand teaching

• Teach the skill not the drill

• Why are they doing it, when do they do it

• Emphasize the process over the product

• Mistakes are an education – it’s okay to mess up

• Communication is your asset (tone of voice, delivery passion.. etc..)

• Your tongue can bring life or death

o Ex. Behind back pass or a big shooting 3’s in practice – how do you handle

• I know what you feel but what you say ex. dumbest white boy, diabetic, girl/boy, cerebral palsy

• A person’s greatest emotional need is to be appreciated and loved – catch them doing something right – ANYTIME

Are you a Motivator? Are You Motivated?

• The most important job is the one you have right now. Your dream job won’t actually materialize unless you take care of the one you have now

• It’s not what you know; it’s what you bring – Every single time you are on the field!! Period!

• The more motivated you are the more successful you will be

• Do you give your players a belief wheel

• Thoughts – Words – Judgment – Action – Results – Belief

• A MESSAGE is only a message if it’s received and acted upon

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