1. Care About the Individuals
Care About the Individuals
2. Prioritize Development Over Winning
Prioritize Development Over Winning
3. Have a Healthy Perspective
Have a Healthy Perspective
4. Be a Great Communicator
Be a Great Communicator
5. Be Fair and Reward Hard Work
Be Fair and Reward Hard Work

Care About the Individuals

  • 1 on 1 Time 
    • The start of every season should involve you, the coach, spending some time getting to know your players. This is more than a simple “where are you from?” This is a deep conversation about the person. Seek to understand what motivates the individual. 
  • Learn their language 
    • By asking personal questions you start to build trust with the player. We all learn and respond in different ways. How do you expect to make the player better if you don’t know how to talk to them? Are they the type of kid that needs Attention? Criticism? Constant support? Or something else? You can answer a lot of these questions by genuinely caring and being interested in their story. 
  • What motivates the person, not the player? 
    • Keep this question in mind at all times. It is very easy to always view your players in a working relationship, but the modern player wants to be heard and seen.  Coaching is a two-way street. Take pride in being a good listener. Asking questions like “what are you feeling?” & “what doesn’t feel right?” when going through drills, will make the athlete open up to you and feel comfortable in being uncomfortable. Never assume understanding, seek to over explain everything, and let the athlete talk as much as possible.

IF YOU WANT THE ATHLETE TO CARE, CARE ABOUT THE ATHLETE