Coaches Toolbox

What is a Coach of Excellence?

by

This article is included in Alan Stein’s, Coaching Nuggets.

I like many of the points made in this article. I am sure that there will be some disagreement with some of the statements, but I think that this is a very good article to inspire some reflection.

By: Brian Vecchio.

“You can’t plays today’s game by yesterday’s rules.”

 

What is a Coach of Excellence?

  • Same person in sport, home, and work
  • Keeps perspective and makes it fun
  • Prioritizes developing servant leaders
  • Mentally tough-comfortable with being uncomfortable
  • 3:1 ratio of praise to criticism

21st Century Coach of Excellence

  • “Easy to please, hard to satisfy”
  • Consistency breeds excellence, excellence breeds trust, trust breeds loyalty
  • “Great leaders can’t give away what they don’t possess themselves”
  • Must have a failure philosophy! (Admit it. Fix it. Don’t repeat it!)
  • Great coaches find ways to get players “all in”
  • Establish your OWN identity
  • Two non-negotiables: Humility and non-stop learner
  • You are too close if you can’t hold players accountable!
  • Manipulates situations daily that athletes will encounter
  • Can teach all types of learners at once (audio, visual, intrapersonal)
  • Can get players “on fire” about something!
  • Coach to player-player will retain 70% of what you said
  • Player 1-Player 2-will retain 85% of what is said
  • Player 2-another player after having learned skill-95% retention rate
  • Principles and values don’t change, the “how evolves”
  • Sterile communication on a team=sterile results
  • Each coach is at a different place in the journey! Get better every day!
  • Coach attitude and effort before X’s and O’s

3 Dimensional Coaching (3 questions to ask yourself)

1. Why do you coach? (Inside-Out Coaching)
2. What is your philosophy?
3. How do you measure success?

Level I

  • Competency (strategy, techniques, biomechanics
  • Lots of info out there for coaches to improve
  • 80-85% of coaches

Level II

  • Mind of the Athlete
  • Psychology
  • 10% of coaches

Level III

  • Relationship EXPERT
  • Critique without resentment
  • “Do you know “what time it is?”
  • 5% of all coaches

Coaching Thoughts

  • There is a double standard about teaching and coaching. Must be both!
  • Create a climate and culture that values people over productivity
  • Want to know if you are a good coach…ask your worst player
  • Only job w/ higher divorce rate is law enforcement
  • Do you have a bat phone? (Direct line of communication w/ team)
  • Are you just “coaching” or do you “care”?
  • Do you have self-control routines for yourself?
  • Assistant coaches are in charge of HC in heated moments
  • Give feedback
  • No feedback-coach that rolls out balls and lets “athletes be”
  • Over feedback- “paralysis by analysis”
  • Best know just the right time and right thing to say!
  • “You’re either coaching it, or allowing it to happen”
  • Coach Obvious/Knowledge of Result- “Catch the ball”
  • Knowledge of Process-checklist, specific feedback, drill that isolates problem
  • Speak Greatness into others
  • Cursing and sarcasm not effective with 21st century kid. Tune you out!
  • Replace “but” with “now” when talking to players. “I like your release, now try to get your elbow over your knee”
  • Be Uncommon. Sprint back after a made basket.
  • “See what people can be, not what they are.”

21st Century Players

  • Top 2 ways they communicate – USE THEM; DON’T FIGHT THEM
    1) Facebook-Every team should have a page!
    2) Texting
  • Right and wrong is determined by age 13
  • What happened to the “gym rat”? Players have evolved and changed
  • 50 million sports participants ages 6-14, by age 15 only 7 million
  • #1 predictor of success is self-talk
  • Now dealing with 2nd crop of “trophy generation”

10 Expectations 21st Century Athletes Have

1. They want to contribute immediately
2. They want to feel important and do important things
3. They want to receive feedback immediately
4. They want to be treated as an individual
5. They want to have access to the head the coach
6. They want to experience meaningful relationships
7. They want a plan of measurable growth steps
8. They want to learn from their peers
9. They want to see results quickly
10. They want coaches to be innovative and have high expectations

Additional Thoughts

• 90% of plane crashes in US are caused by pilot error. Have a checklist!
• Can’t have a “scoreboard hangover mentality”. The past can’t affect the future!
• “I want to honor your time”.as a way of reengaging listeners when you speak
• Old coaches must learn from new coaches and vice versa (community of learners)
• “I won’t know if I’m a good parent until I see my grandchild act up in front of my son.”