S B Coaches College - Tip of the Month April 2007




		S B Coaches College Tip of the Month April 2007

We as performance enhancement specialists, coaches, trainers, and therapists wear many different hats when training and taking care of our athletes. We are:

1. Strength Coaches

2. Conditioning Coaches

3. Speed Experts

4. Rehab Specialists

5. Motivators

6. Counselors

7. Leaders

8. Influencers

Every one of us tends to think of the first four examples, but rarely think of ourselves as possessing the last four attributes. But if you are fortunate enough to work with high school and college aged athletes (even professional athletes), you must take a look at the things you say and do to your athletes as you can have a tremendously profound effect upon their development as not only as an athlete, but as a human being.

Sports are a great part of development because they teach us how to move, how to compete, and how to work together as a team. Training is just as important and can teach so much more because of the nature of doing things you did not think were possible.

Training teaches you how to overcome adversity, push through self-imposed limits, be positive, accountability, and to be healthy. Think about having to do an open set of push-ups, intervals, sled runs, plate pushes or anything extremely difficult; think about how it feels and how you get yourself to do it without giving up, without quitting, without whining about it. Times likes these should be used to teach your athletes about the importance of not giving up because things are hard, or you don’t want to do them. That’s being lazy and taking the easy way out. Remember that there is no easy way; things in life are difficult and going to be hard. If you can’t do something as simple as going hard or disciplining yourself, you’re most likely not going to be able to do it in the real world.

If you find your athletes giving up and doing less than their capable of doing, their not only limiting their physical development but also their mental development as a human being. Teach your athletes how to push themselves, be positive, be good people and respectful. These are things that are going to make them truly complete athletes.