When I was a young athlete playing different sports, there was nothing like the games. When game day came around, there was something a little different about that day. An energy, an excitement.

I particularly loved basketball games. Unlike the other sports, the crowd is right up on top of you. I could literally walk two feet off the court and smack high fives with buddies in the stands. If you played on a good team, the gym would be packed.  

I loved the energy and I loved the crowds. Good or bad, I loved hearing the people screaming. It was fun performing in front of a big crowd. One of my favorite memories was playing the regional final in basketball at Bowling Green. I’ll never forget the roar of the crowd when the other team hit a go-ahead 3 pointer with 3 seconds left in the game. I just wish we had won that game.

THAT IS WHY I COACH THE WAY I COACH!!

I want your athlete to have memories like that. I want your athlete to sit back 10 years after his/her playing career is done and reflect on that hat trick he/she did against their rival. Or the run your team made to the state title game.

Yes, I even want you to think of the memories of not-so-glorious moments. That potential game-winning shot that went in and out. At least, you did what you needed to do to put yourself in a position to be on the court when the game was on the line.

As an athlete, I was pretty steady eddy. I didn’t get too high or too low trying not to let the moment get the better of me. Thus, as a coach I’ve taken on that mantra. I mean what athlete feels confident in their coach when he is losing his mind at every little thing.

I am not your sport coach and I don’t control whether you start or not. My job isn’t tied to whether your team wins or loses. Consequently, I’m not a yeller for the sake of yelling.

I have no problem yelling at an athlete if they are screwing around wasting my time. But, most of the athletes who train with me do not do that. Sometimes their confidence is already somewhat shaken and yelling at them for the sake of yelling might make matters worse.

If my athletes hear me yell during our session, it is because they accomplished something that they hadn’t previously accomplished. THAT is something to yell about.

My coaching should be nothing but positivity to our athletes. I want to ask how their games have gone, I want to hear about how they scored the last minute basket because it means something to them.  

I learned as a coach, that I really have no idea how much I impact each athlete so I need to be on my game with everyone at all times. The littlest of gestures can impact an athlete positive or negative.

It takes no more energy to be POSITIVE, so I choose to be a positive force for my athletes.

I know I won’t be the ultimate reason behind an athlete’s success. I will be just a small piece in the puzzle, but I definitely know that I could be the very reason an athlete gives up a sport with the wrong words or negative connotations.

At the very least, I want to build their confidence and create a hard-working work ethic in each and every athlete. I know if they work hard for me doing “performance training”, then they will work hard for their sport coach and give themselves every opportunity to be successful.

Look, I know I can be an acquired taste sometimes. Some of my athletes think I’m too serious. That’s just because I don’t think you can handle my sarcastic wit just yet. You can enjoy coming to training, just know you and I talked and discussed goals for you. I just want to make sure you can achieve those goals and create the memories you will need to last a lifetime.

Now, instead of opening the paper and trying to see if my name made the article write-up on our team, I’m looking to see if any of my athletes made the paper.  That is something that gets me just as jazzed up as when I used to play back in the day.

Photo courtesy of USAG Livorno PAO on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/campdarby/