A Coach's Diary

Passion, energy, and enthusiasm are powerful forces. In fact, Carmine Gallo writes that the most popular TED TALK speakers share something in common - a passion, an obsession they must share with others. Successful speakers can't wait to share their ideas, and they have a charisma that is directly associated with their passion and joy for what they do. I would argue that the best coaches and teachers share the same passion, joy, and obsession for what they do. A school administrator that I respect once told me, "I hire for energy, and I train for skill. The best teachers that I have been around aren't always the most skilled teachers, but they have the best energy. They have an energy that is contagious. They are like magnets that people - students, parents, and other teachers - are drawn to." I recently started reading Gallo's book called  Talk Like Ted  thinking that I was going to learn more about public speaking, but instead, I learned about the importance of ...

Kobe Bryant was known for his Mamba Mentality. The Mamba Mentality means, "Trying to be the best version of yourself." It means, "Every day, you are trying to become better." One of the pillars of Mamba Mentality is passion. Passion is love in action. It was no secret that Kobe looked up to Michael Jordan. Here is what Jordan said about passion: "The greatest thing about the game of basketball, to me, is the passion; the love that I have for it. Because when you have love for anything, you'll go to the extreme to maintain that love. That's what love does; love drives you to do everything you need to do to maintain that connection. If I didn't have that love for the game of basketball, all of the things that have panned out in my career would have never been achievable. It was truly my love for the game that kept me pushing to be the best basketball player that I can be. To be the best, at anything, you gotta have a certain love for that to overcome ...

I’m at the Nike Nationals girls basketball tournament. It is the biggest tournament of the year for high school girls basketball. The best of the best players and college coaches are competing for scholarship opportunities and rankings. Do you want to know the statement I hear the most? “They have to want it more than I do.” I hear that from both coaches and parents. They are frustrated that they seem to want more for their athletes than their athletes want for themselves. And they are right. Former NFL player and ESPN analyst David Pollack said, “There is only one person in the end who will determine if your kid will be great, and that is your kid - not you. Only your kid can decide if they will be great.” So, what can we do? Kobe Bryant said: “We have to try to put them in different things and expose them to as many things as possible, and then see if there is one thing that connects with them. Because if it does, you don’t have to tell them to do it. If they have that passion, they’...

The following quote is from Michael Jordan's NBA TV One-on-One at 50 interview.  "The greatest thing about the game of basketball, to me, is the passion, the love that I have for it. Because when you have live for anything, you'll go to the extreme to maintain that love. That's what love does; love drives you to do everything you need to do to maintain that connection. If I didn't have that love for the game of basketball, all of the things that have panned out in my career would have never been achievable. It was truly my love for the game that kept me pushing to be the best basketball player that I can be. To be the best, at anything, you gotta have a certain love for that to overcome all of the obstacles that's going to be thrown in your way. That's what the game of basketball has been for me."