Truth In Sports

The best coaches can look you in the eye and tell you the truth.

The best players can absorb that truth, whether it's positive or negative.

Handling adversity and handling truth is important.

It may not be easy to hear, but you have to respect it.

As coaches and parents, we have to be honest with our athletes. We can do it in a way that inspires them and doesn't bring them down.

I like to use the sandwich method. The bread on the outside are positives, and the meat is the truth in the middle.

When my athletes aren't playing as hard as they need to play, I start our conversation with something positive that they do:

"You had some good touches out there."
"You made some good passes."
"You looked like you and your teammates were having fun!"

Then, I give them constructive criticism, and I try to tie it to their goals and dreams for themselves:

"You didn't play as hard as you could have. If you want to be the type of player that you want to be, you have to play harder than everyone else."

I also try to tie the correction to something measurable:

"You were beaten to the ball too many times. You have to be the first one to get a touch."
"You girl beat you to the basket too many times. You have to do a better job of staying in front of her."
"Your man got too many rebounds. You have to do a better job of boxing out."
"The running back got to the edge too many times. You have to do a better job of setting your edge."

I always finish with a positive, affirming remark:

"I love watching you play."
"I believe in you."
"I know that these are small things that you can correct."
"I can't wait to watch you do these things better at the next practice/game."

The best athletes don't want you to be fake or disingenuous. They want real feedback and real advice on how they can get better. Let's teach our kids early that real, honest feedback is something to be valued. Let's teach them not to allow real, honest feedback to get them down. Let's teach them how to respond to real, honest feedback and to seek real, honest feedback.