A Coach's Diary

“I’m not the most talented, I’m not the fastest, but I work the hardest.” - Jerry Rice Are you getting everything you can out of your natural talent? Everyone is born with a unique set of strengths, weaknesses and gifts. What are yours, and are you getting the most out of it? Jerry Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and one of the best football players of all time. He was known for his legendary working, conditioning, and discipline. Rice once said, “I’m not the most talented, I’m not the fastest, but I work the hardest.” He also said, “Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” He was naturally talented, but he got more out of that natural talent than most because of how hard he worked and how hard pushed himself. Near his hometown in Mississippi, there was a steep, punishing hill. Rice ran it every day in the offseason, often leaving younger or even professional athletes gasping for air. He believed that ...

“I just kept saying, ‘Be brave.’ And, ‘Go for it.’ … I went after it, every single point. And if I missed it and I just didn’t execute, I could live with that. I didn’t want to have any sort of regret that I was passive and I missed.”  - Madison Keys Can you live with and move on from mistakes, or does the fear of failure leave you passive or paralyzed? Every coach and parent wants a confident, brave, courageous athlete who knows it’s not about being perfect but trying to be the best you can be. This requires being willing to try new things and make mistakes, fail, learn from it, and bounce back and try again. Madison Keys is a professional tennis player, known for having a powerful serve and a strong forehand. She once said, “I just kept saying, ‘Be brave.’ And, ‘Go for it.’ … I went after it, every single point. And if I missed it and I just didn’t execute, I could live with that. I didn’t want to have any sort of regret that I was passive and I missed.” If you want to be gr...

“ All I kept saying to myself was: ‘Remove all doubt. Believe in yourself. You’ve got this.’ ” - Carmelo Anthony How do you push past the doubt? We all have doubts at times in our lives. The key is to remove and push past it. Professional boxer and former mixed martial artist Claressa Shields is a symbol of power and determination both inside and outside the ring. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist boxer, and she is the only boxer—male or female—to hold all four major belts (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO) in three different weight divisions. When she was asked to reflect on her journey to becoming an Olympic champion, Claressa said, “All I kept saying to myself was: ‘Remove all doubt. Believe in yourself. You’ve got this.’” Her words are a reminder that doubt doesn’t disappear on its own—it has to be replaced with belief, action, and persistence. Shields didn’t wait to “feel” confident; she trained, prepared, and spoke confidence into existence until it became real.  The same is tr...

"You are not your zip code. You are not your last name. You are not your setbacks. You are your vision. You are your work ethic. You are your will. You are the quiet whisper inside you that says, ‘I know there’s more for me in this life.’ Hold on to that voice—it will be tested.” - Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Anthony is one of the best basketball players of all time. He came from rough, humble beginnings to become one of the most iconic scorers and a hero for so many people who grew up like him. In his Hall of Fame speech, he said he didn’t grow up with any guarantees, only grit and dreams, and the lucky ones had someone telling them to not give up on them. He said there were a lot of people around him telling him what he couldn’t do and to not aim too high. He then said, “To every kid watching, I want you to hear me loud. You are not your zip code. You are not your last name. You are not your setbacks. You are your vision. You are your work ethic. You are your will. You are the qu...

“You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days, you would never have that sense of accomplishment!"  - Aly Raisman How do you overcome or get over the hard days? Life is full of ups and downs, and the best handle the roller coaster better than others. The challenges you face — tough practices, mistakes, failures, and setbacks — build your toughness and resilience. You can’t have a testimony without a test, and without difficulty, you can’t grow. Former Olympic champion Aly Raisman is remembered not only as one of the best American gymnasts of her era, but also as a role model for courage and resilience.. Raisman began gymnastics at age 2, and by 14 was competing at the elite level, eventually becoming the US team captain in two consecutive Olympics.  In the 2012 London Olympics, she missed out on an all-around medal due to a tiebreaker — a heartbreaking moment — but came...

" I've realized that me being whole off the field is gonna get the best version of me on the field. " - Mal Swanson How helpful or hurtful are your off-the-field or court habits? Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory that explains what motivates people. It says we must first meet our basic needs, like food, water, and sleep, before moving on to other goals.  After that comes safety, friendships and belonging, and feeling good about ourselves. At the very top is self-actualization, which means becoming the best version of yourself. If you want to be the best you can be, you have to make sure your basic needs are met—you have to eat right, get enough rest, and feel safe. Then, you have to put in the work you need to put in, but you won’t have the mental, physical, and emotional energy you need if you don’t meet your basic needs Maybe that is what professional soccer player Mallory Swanson meant when she said, " I've realized that me being whole off the fiel...

“You have to focus on what you can control. There are so many things that are out of your control, there are so many things that are going to come at you, and what you have to do is you have to focus on that, focus on the relationships in the building, and what matters.” - Ryan Day How do you handle success? Before their first game of the season after winning the national championship the year before, Ohio State coach Ryan Day was asked how to sustain success and stay at the top of the mountain. Coach Day said, “The thing you have to do is you have to focus on what you can control.” He said, “There are so many things that are out of your control, there are so many things that are going to come at you, and what you have to do is you have to focus on that, focus on the relationships in the building, and what matters.” The key to either sustaining success or stopping losing streaks is focusing on the right things—how you show up, your attitude, your energy, and how hard you work an...

“You have to train your mind just as much as you train your body.” - Tara Lipinski How often do you train your mind vs your body? Success in sports isn’t only about physical strength, skill, or practice. Mental training prepares your focus, confidence, resilience, and ability to handle pressure. Tara Lipinski was one of the youngest Olympic champions ever—she won the 1998 Olympic gold medal in Nagano, Japan at just 15 years old. Tara once said, “You have to train your mind just as much as you train your body.” She knew that talent and practice weren’t enough — she also had to strengthen her mindset to handle the pressure of the biggest stage. Your mind is like a muscle. If you don’t train it with focus, discipline, and positive habits, your physical training won’t reach its full potential. Here are 6 mental training exercises: 1. Visualization (Mental Rehearsal) Athletes close their eyes and imagine performing their routine or play perfectly — feeling the movement, hearing...

"Just keep stacking days. As long as you keep stacking days, I promise you will see the change.” - Chris Paul Do you want to know how to get better or find success? Stack days. Consistency is either the thing that pushes athletes past walls, obstacles, or barriers, or the thing that keeps them stuck. Despite not being very tall at all, Chris Paul is one of the best point guards to ever play basketball. He once said, “Just keep stacking days. As long as you keep stacking days, I promise you will see the change.” I see too many athletes — too many people — quit too soon because things don’t go their way immediately. I’ve also seen athletes who were the worst on the team become the best because they consistently worked on their games. Like Paul said, they kept stacking days and change came. He also said one of his coaches told him, “Everything you want is on the other side of hard,” and, “Reps remove doubt.” Getting better and having confidence is simple: Find somethi...

“Dream forever. Dream beyond what you can even imagine because if you set your might to it, if you set your attention to it, you will attract it.” - Jameis Winston How big are your dreams? Jameis Winston is an NFL quarterback who, despite early controversy—including investigations and off-field incidents—has become an inspirational leader known for powerful interviews and soundbites. On The Pivot Podcast , he spoke about the power of prayers and dreams, and the importance of dreaming big. When asked if the NFL humbled him, he said the issue wasn’t humility—it was that he hadn’t dreamed big enough. Until his first NFL snap, Winston had always been the best player on the field. But the NFL is full of players who were all “the best,” so it humbles many. Instead of being humbled, Winston said the league showed him his dreams weren’t big enough. His humility came from realizing his prayers and dreams were too small. Winston said he prayed to make it to the NFL, but if he could do it over ag...