A Coach's Diary

Safer and more effective learning environments The qualities that make us most human - connection, community, positivity, belonging, and a sense of meaning The r eal, genuine, gratitude, appreciation, thanks, and love I get from building relationships with students fills my bucket Last night, an educator told me, 'Relationships are reciprocal." He then asked, "What do we as adults get out of building relationships with kids?" My life is built around teaching, coaching, leading and serving kids. A superintendent once told me, "In education, we are in the people development business." Our job is to teach, educate and develop people. Dr. Pedro A. Noguera, the Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and Faculty Director for the Center for the Transformation of Schools at UCLA asked , "What does it take to educate the students that you serve?" When I was asked what we get out of building relation...

When you look at, think about, and talk about your athletes and your teams, do you talk more about what they can do or can't do? I have been around coaches who focus on the strengths of their athletes and teams and who are solution-oriented, and I have been around coaches who see, focus on and talk more about the weaknesses of their athletes and their teams. When I am around coaches who focus on weaknesses and what they can't do, the feeling in the gym or field is more negative, depressing, and there is less positive energy. These coaches tend to punish more than they teach, and the athletes are more defensive than they are coachable. The athletes are disengaged, the coach is in a bad mood, and those teams don't have as much success as other teams that I am around. When I am around coaches who focus on strengths and what their teams can do, the feeling in the gym or field is more happy and hopeful, and the athletes are more engaged. The coaches tend to teach and correct mor...

Have you ever wondered why some athletes pay attention in practice and games, and why others don't? Or why some athletes improve, and others don't? Or why some athletes reach their full potential, and others don't? Yvette Jackson, a master teacher, says that we have to do three things to get the most out of our athletes: 1 - Affirm - Build on their strengths 2 - Inspire - Inspire and challenge them 3 - Motivate - Motivate them so that they believe in their ability to do anything AIM - Affirm, Inspire, Motivate One of our opportunities as coaches is that we have the ability to 'gift our athletes.' We have the opportunity to gift them with the ability to transform themselves so that they can transform their teams and the world. It starts with having a fearless belief that  our athletes have an enormous pool of potential bubbling inside of them, and we as parents and coaches have the ability to inspire and bring that out of them. If your athletes aren't motivated, ...