The Mantra of Get Better Every Day Applies First to Coaching

After 40+ years in coaching, certain things are automatic for me.  One of those things is, from the moment a practice, training session, game or season is done, I immediately begin replaying it minute-by-minute in my mind.  My entire focus is on whether I was better today than yesterday and how can I get better tomorrow.  I know that if I am better tomorrow, our team will be better tomorrow.

This self-analysis occurs regardless of whether I thought the practice or training session went well or whether we won the game or the championship.  I assume, and I have learned, we can always be better. 

We must be better because our competition will be better.  I must be better because my obligation as a teacher, role model, and mentor is to develop my players to be the best people, athletes, and players they can be regardless of the competition.

One of the axioms coaches stress to their players is to learn and dedicate themselves to the process.  Good results are obtained from a consistent and strict adherence to the process.  The same is true for good coaching.  When I begin my self-reflection on how I can be better as a coach, I start with my coaching methodology.

Even if all of my goals for my team as people, athletes, and players were achieved, my mindset is, my standards and goals need to be raised.  When doing this, I intensely scrutinize the details of my teaching and development process. 
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I have learned that I will typically be pleased with the results of my coaching if, on a daily basis, I ask myself the following questions to guide my process for the next day:

1. Did I make our team better people?
2. Did I use what I taught them about becoming better people when I trained them to be better athletes?
3. Did I use what I taught them about becoming better people and better athletes when I developed them to be better players?
4. Did the players receive 20 + repetitions of their position fundamentals with game-like speed and intensity in a game-like situation?
5. Did the players compete at every phase of the practice with significant outcome consequences?
6. Did I teach every player using the appropriate learning modality, auditory, visual or kinesthetic?
7. Did I train reaction as often as action?
8. Did I train the mental side of the game as well as the physical?
9. Did everyone attempt to "practice perfectly" at every phase of the practice while accepting failure as a necessary part of the improvement process?
10. Was everyone committed to and held accountable for the TEAM getting better today?
11. Did the execution of the practice plan in its flow and progression match its design?
12. Was there a consistent high energy from beginning to end?
13. Did our coaching staff push our players out of their comfort zone to be mentally and physically tougher?
14. Did the practice end with a scrimmage or game simulation where the players demonstrated what they learned during practice without any comment or input from the coaches?
15. Did someone new step up to demonstrate leadership skills?
16. Could we have defeated our toughest competition today?
17. Did we inspire others who observed us to be better in their own lives?
18. Did I see our players and assistant coaches smile and laugh? Did they see me do the same?
19. Were our players and coaches comfortable enough to share something from their heart during team meetings?
20. Do the other teams in our youth program or league teach the same fundamentals and have the same mission, goals, systems, and methodology as our team?
21. Was I better as a teacher, role model and mentor today than yesterday?
22. Did everyone act excited to come back tomorrow?

 
If you can answer yes to each of these questions every day, you are executing championship practices and training sessions. More importantly, you are training Champions for Life.