A Coach's Diary

One of my good friends has a son who is a high-major athlete at a power 5 school. The advice he gives to parents of athletes going through the youth sports experience and recruitment process is, "Just make sure they are good enough. If they are good enough, they will have an opportunity to play on top teams and play in college, but the second they stop being good enough, the opportunities stop too." In his book, The Mamba Mentality, Kobe Bryant writes that he learned a lot from studying and watching Muhammad Ali. Here is what he wrote about Ali: One of the main takeaways was that you have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash and hype. Behind that hyp, though, is dedication, focus, and seriousness - all of which outsiders will never see. If you stop being dedicated to the craft, the commercials and contracts will all fade away. Success comes down to ha...

According to a National Alliance for Youth Sports study, about 70% of kids stop playing sports by age 13. Just over 7% of athletes play sports in college, and only 1.8% of men and women play Division 1 sports. That means only 1 out of 13 high school athletes will play in college, and only 1 out of every 57 will play at the Division 1 level. Narrow is the gate that leads to success, and even more narrow is the gate to continued success. My keys to success are work hard and have fun. Hopefully, your athletic journey is long and enjoyable. The harder you work and the more fun you have, the longer and more successful your career will be. We are the results of our decisions. Good decisions lead to good results, and bad decisions lead to bad results. Wisdom is doing today what your future self will thank you for, so create the life and career you want with each decision you make. While life is a series of choices and decisions, no decision is more important than the one Jesus talks about in ...

Motivational speaker  Jim Rohn  once said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Research shows that our relationships are the greatest indicator of success, well-being, and happiness. The strengths of our relationship are a greater success indicator than wealth and fame.  People who are deeply connected to someone or to a group or community but have unhealthy habits (like smoking and alcohol) consistently outlive people who have extremely healthy habits but are not relationally connected to  any group. T he quality of your life is always going to be a direct reflection of the quality of your relationships. We are all born with the need for relationships and strong social connections. Great relationships help us feel happier, more hopeful, and healthier. Who are you connected to? I heard a preacher once say that the life and relationships of Jesus are a great example of the relationships we should seek. Everywhere Jesus went, large cr...

- Did you have fun? - Did you do your best? - Did you get better? After every game, one girl on my u9 soccer team asks me the same question, "Coach, did we win?" I ask her and the team the three questions above. They always say yes, and I always say, "Then you won!" They then put their hands up and cheer. This u9 soccer team hasn't lost a game yet in their rec league, so I haven't lied to them. But even if they did lose according to the score, if they can answer yes to those three questions, then they are winners. I used to be too competitive for u9 rec soccer. Having daughters has softened me a lot, but I am still competitive. I stress and worry more than I should about wins and losses, but this is something that I am trying to work on. One way that I have tried to improve in this area is by redefining success. That is where those three questions come from. I know that these girls won't go through life undefeated, and losing is good for everybody. You l...

John Wooden John Wooden created his own definition of success way back in 1934 as a high school English teacher.  We complain about the entitlement that students and their parents have now like it is a new phenomenon, but Coach Wooden was dealing with it back in the 1930’s and ‘40’s.  He said that his parents just expected their students get an A or a B, and when a student didn’t receive and A or B, the parents placed blame on the teacher instead of the student. He said that he believes that the Lord did not create everybody equal, and that includes size, athleticism, and intelligence, and that he believed that not everybody could earn an A or B and that he didn’t like that way of judging.   "Success is a piece of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you’re capable." "My father tried to teach me and my brothers that you should never try to be better than someone else.  ...

The Road Ahead or The Road Behind by George Joseph Moriarty Sometimes I think the Fates must Grin as we denounce and insist The only reason we can’t win Is the Fates themselves that miss Yet there lives on an ancient claim We win or lose within ourselves The shining trophies on our shelves Can never win tomorrow’s game You and I know deeper down There’s always a chance to win the crown But when we fail to give our best We simply haven’t met the test Of giving all, and saving none Until the game is really won Of showing what is meant by grit Of fighting on when others quit Of playing through, not letting up It’s bearing down that wins the cup Of taking it and taking more Until we gain the winning score Of dreaming there’s a goal ahead Of hoping when our dreams are dead Of praying when our hopes have fled Yet losing, not afraid to fall If bravely, we have given all For who can ask more of a man ...