A Coach's Diary

  “You don't have to win the race. You just need to win your race. And winning your race means falling in love with the process. Fall in love with the process, not the podium.” - Katie Ledecky Which do you love most: The game or the trophies? Sports are driven by outcomes — did you win, and how well did you play — but when you focus too much on the result, you can lose the joy of the journey and overlook the small details that lead to real growth. Having won 14 Olympic medals, Katie Ledecky is the most decorated swimmer in U.S. Olympic history. In a commencement speech she gave at her Alma mater, Stanford, Katie said, “You don't have to win the race. You just need to win your race. And winning your race means falling in love with the process. Fall in love with the process, not the podium.” External victories — like being the best, scoring all the points, and finishing first — are what we all want, but they aren’t the only definition of success. True success is about being your ...

“I'm not afraid of anyone, but sometimes I'm afraid of myself. The mental part is very important.” - Justine Henin Who is the person you are most afraid of? Justine Henin is a retired Belgian professional tennis player, widely regarded as one of the greatest female players of her generation. She once said, “I'm not afraid of anyone, but sometimes I'm afraid of myself. The mental part is very important.” I’m not going to lie, I’ve faced some tough competition, and honestly, I faced some people and teams that I was afraid of. But the most important person we face is ourselves. When Justine gave this quote, she was highlighting the inner battle athletes often face, especially at the highest levels of competition. She wasn’t intimidated by her opponents, no matter how strong or accomplished they were, because she had the skill, experience, and belief to compete with anyone in the world. The real challenge wasn’t always across the net — it was inside her own mind. She’s refe...

  “Are you a high performer because of your habits, or are you a high performer in spite of them?” - Alan Stein Alan Stein was once a high level basketball trainer who worked with Kevin Durant, and he is now an author and speaker. He once asked: Are you a high performer because of your habits, or are you a high performer in spite of them? If you wrote down everything that you do every day, how much is helping you, and how much is hurting you? He said he read a study that said almost half of what we do is based on our habits, so one of the most impactful things we can do is develop better habits. But how? Alan said there was a study that found when you focus on changing just one behavior at a time you have an 85% chance of being successful. Instead of trying to change a bunch of things about you, just change one thing. How long does it take? Alan says he shoots for 66 days in a row. He knows that he will miss a day, so his goal is to never miss 2 days in a row. Make a short list of ...

“A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up. It's all a matter of pride.” - Nancy Lopez Are you a competitor? Nancy Lopez was a dominant female golfer, but she wasn’t just a prolific winner; her engaging personality and dominance in a male-dominated era helped expand mainstream interest in women’s golf. She once said, “A competitor will find a way to win. Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up. It's all a matter of pride.” She also said, “Do your best, one shot at a time, and then move on.” How you choose to respond to mistakes and adversity is one of the most important decisions you will make. Will you put your head down, pout, feel sorry for yourself, and make excuses, or will you keep your head up, have a good attitude, take ownership, ...

  “Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy. ” - Wayne Gretzky Are you a procrastinator? I am, and I’m working as hard as I can to change that. Procrastination is when you avoid doing what you know you need to do, and you often feel worse because of it. I used to be proud of my ability to procrastinate and still get the job done, but now I realize how much unnecessary stress and anxiety comes with being a procrastinator, and how much more productive and at peace I can be when I am proactive. Wayne Gretzky is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time. He once said, “ Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” Don’t let procrastination keep you from being who you want to be and doing what you want to do. The best of the best have a vision for how they want to live, they have a plan for how they want to execute, and they are...

"Never let defeat define you; let your comeback do the talking.” - Kim Yeon-Kuong How well do you bounce back from losses? I struggle with losing. When I was a kid, I would cry after losing, and even as an adult, I sometimes cry when I lose. I HATE losing. When my hate for losing became a fear of losing, it became a problem because I would either cheat to win or I would avoid tough competition because I was afraid to lose. When that happened, I stunted my growth because losing is a part of the process. Kim Yeon‑koung is a legendary South Korean volleyball outside hitter and former captain of the national team. The 2012 London Olympics MVP is a trailblazing influencer: she’s the first volleyball player to surpass 1 million subscribers on YouTube, runs a youth sports academy, and has been an ambassador for major brands. Kim once said, “Never let defeat define you; let your comeback do the talking.” Setbacks, losses, or failures shouldn't shape your identity or story. Instead of ...

“Those callouses,  those bumps, those bruises—they’re all necessary for you to be who you’re supposed to be. You have to embrace them.” - Jalen Hurts If you started all season but got benched in the second half of the championship game, how would you feel, and how would you react? This happened to quarterback Jalen Hurts in college. Over two seasons, Hurts led Alabama to a 26-2 record and broke the Crimson Tide’s single-season passing record in his sophomore year, but after a terrible first half against Georgia in the national championship game, he was benched for backup freshman Tua Tagovailoa, who led them to a comeback win. This could have broken Hurts, but instead, he eventually transferred to Oklahoma, led them to a 12-1 record, finished the year as a Heisman Trophy runner-up, and became a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. When talking about having to overcome challenges and obstacles, Hurst says, “Those callouses,  those bumps, those bruises—they’re all necessary for you t...

The best athletes and most successful people have a plan that starts when they wake up. I asked ChatGPT for a game day routine, and here is what it gave me: 1. Start the Day Right Hydrate early: Drink water as soon as you wake up — dehydration can negatively impact focus, energy, reaction time, and muscle function. Eat smart: Balanced meals — protein, carbs, fruits/veggies. You want your body to have the fuel it needs when it needs it the most. Visualize success: Spend 2–3 minutes seeing yourself making good plays and playing with energy. I like to watch film of myself and highlights from people I admire. Get some touches or shots in: You don’t want your first time touching the ball to be in warm-ups. 2. Stay Locked In at School (or throughout the day — wherever you are) Avoid junk food and bad drinks. Use quiet moments (lunch, passing periods) to take a few deep breaths and remind yourself: “I’m ready. I’ve worked for this.” Keep energy calm, not hyper or distracted. 3. Pre-Game Rout...

You can make your dreams come true by doing three things: Have a goal, make a plan, stick to the plan. Nick Saban is one of the best college football coaches of all time. I heard him speak once, and he said the key to success and winning championships come down to those three things: goals, plans, and discipline. He said you first have to have a vision or a goal: What do you want to do? Write it down on paper or in your phone. Second, you have to create a plan: What are 3-5 things you need to do to make this happen? Write those down on paper or in your phone. He said the third part is the hardest: Do you have the discipline to stick to the plan? Coach Saban said discipline is where most people fail. Most people won’t take the time to write down their goals or they won’t take the time to think out and write out a plan. Even if they do that, most people will quit on their plan because of a lack of discipline: “ It’s too hard,” “I’m too tired,” and “I don’t feel like it ,” ar...

“Serenity in sport is everything. Otherwise, it's a paradox. The body must always be trained at 100%, but if the head is not serene, you can do the best training, but it will never pay off.” - Frederica Pellegrini How are you in pressure games or moments? Are you the calm in the storm, or are you a part of the chaos? I recently talked to my daughters about the importance of calming your mind in the middle of the storm. When you are calm and centered, you can create space for you to do your best work. A simple way to do this is by doing Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold it again for 4 seconds. Repeat 4 times, and you can calm your mind. Federica Pellegrini is a legendary Italian swimmer—often called “La Divina”—widely regarded as one of the greatest freestyle athletes of all time. She once said, "Serenity in sport is everything. Otherwise, it's a paradox. The body must always be trained at 100%, but if th...