January 21, 2010
Part 1: Coaching; What role do you play?
First off, I want you to define the word coach. What did you come up with?
I am sure if I asked 10 people this question all ten would have very different answers. Webster’s may have a definition of what a coach may be, but in the end, it’s a very grey area and up for interpritation and creativety.
Myself? Coaching wears many different masks. Yet, there is one general theme of my style, passionate. There is no money, no status, no gold medals in my definition of coaching, these all come as a bonus. The ability to coach because you care about the player, about the individual, can go leagues when gauging how much respect you receive from players, parents, coaches and umpires alike. The end goal of any season, tournament or practice for my players; did they learn, did they enjoy the experience, did they communicate with others.
Winning isn’t everything, we have all heard this before and I bet we could split this up 50/50 amongst the crowd and argue. The truth is, winning is everything; it just depends on where you look…on the scoreboard?..no. In the individual?…yes.
I’ve walked away from tournaments where we may have ended up 2-5 or lost 3-2 in the gold medal game…the end result? Players who embrace the bigger picture. They will walk away and say they have learned tremendous amounts of sport and fundamentals, enjoyed time with their teammates and walk away head high and with a smile.
Is this how it always works out? No, but in order to build a repuation, grow a club or gain respect is to treat coaching like this at least 85% of the time. To much focus in one direction won’t get results…compromise is key.
In Part 2, I will discuss the different types of coaching styles and how to present yourself as a coach. Part 3 will dive into character building, situational scenarios and I hope to get some response from the readers on these.
For now, go and define your coaching style!
Peace, Love and Happiness.
January 19, 2010
College Recruiting…What a pain!
Part of my material on this site will be directly related to my job, which is coaching field hockey for female athletes ages 10-18 years old. When these athletes get older, 15-16, I always get a parent of the player asking me about college. What is a good program for me? Can I play (insert school here)? I can say that this is the toughest part of my job, narrowing down hundreds of programs, schools and demographics to fit an individual player. Here I am going to give you some key steps to follow when, in my mind, making one of the toughest decision of your life.
Step 1: Answer these 5 simple questions and prioritize them 1-5.
- How far am I willing to travel away from home?
- What size schools do I want to attend?
- Academia
- Program
- Money
Here is a little info at each question.
- Do you want to live near home or be as far away from your mother and father as possible so they don’t show up at your doorstep with cookies and laundry detergent ready for battle.
- School atmosphere is directly related to school size. The bigger the school, the more people you won’t know yet this bodes well for making new friends, as there are more people to friend!
- Are you using (insert sport here) as a means of getting into a good school with your degree in mind, or do you want your sport to be top priority and just getting a degree is what you settle on.
- Finding a proper program could mean the different between loving your experience or hating it. You need to make sure you gel with the team and agree with the coaches mission statement and view points. If the coach doesn’t have one or both…well you have your answer.
- Do you need a major financial backing, 75% or more scholarship to attend college, or is anything you get just a bonus?
Step 2: Once you have answered and prioritized these questions, go experience all the schools that now fit your list!!! Email schools, coaches, past players. Go to showcases and clinics and tournaments. Visit the campus, stay overnight with the team. Even if you know you may not like the school, use it as a tool to narrow down what you may want from another school! Approaches like this will reinforce your overall and final decision, so you can be confident and happy!
Step 3: Narrow your now smaller list to 5 or less schools that fit your “ideal school” you have created by the above steps.(Hint: Find a school or two that are in the same conference, it may come in handy later down the road.)
By now you are in your second semester Junior year and or going into the summer of your senior year. Having to make a decision any earlier is hard to justify. I didn’t know my plan until I was 21…how do you expect a 16 year old too know?
Step 4: Time to get serious, and down to the nitty gritty stuff many people don’t like. Here’s a hint…play the game and play it well. College recruiting for coaches is a business, a game if you will. They are looking to get the best players for the cheapest dollar. You are looking to go to the best school for the cheapest dollar. It can be a fight…and you have to be ready for war. Know your facts; about the school, about your financial situation and be confident you can get what you want.
Step 5: Lastly, demand respect and be smart about what you say. Don’t let a coach give you a deadline for committing…it’s not fair for you or your family. These coaches aren’t showing you respect now and you aren’t even their player, imagine if you were their player…it could get ugly. Is it worth it? No.
Don’t blabber on about how awesome the school is and how you love it so much here, because once a coach senses a persons attachment to the school, it could be used against you! See I told you it was ugly! Instead, be cool headed, and not overzealous. This is where looking at 2 schools in the same conference helps you out, no coach wants to see you say no to them and then end up at another school in the same conference playing against them that next season!
Step 6: Choose your school. By this point, you should be 100% sure of where you want to go, have your offers, weigh your pro’s and con’s and make your decision. **
**Parents, in the end, its your childs decision and you need to be 100% supportive of it, even if it isn’t your top choice. Smile and be happy your child is happy.
Having helped 100′s of players with college recruiting, using these methods and guidlines will in the end help place you where you want to be, and where you will be in a position to be most successful.
Enjoy and good luck to all players going through this process!
