Coach’s Corner Mindset MAtters
2 STRIKE PLAN/APPROACH
Hitting is difficult. Pitching will always dominate hitters and hitters will always struggle especially if hitters cannot figure out timing adjustments, hitting plans & approaches, and consistent swing mechanics to be on time. 2 strike hitting is: plate...
IT WAS NOT AS IMPORTANT TO HER AS IT WAS TO US
When we broke every team huddle after practice or before a game or between innings going from offense to defense, we would say, ”US”. “1 - 2 - 3, US” “US” not only meant the players and coaches - it represented the WHOLE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY - the faculty, the...
HAVING TALENT MEANS LEARNING HOW TO COMPETE
The PARABLE OF TALENTS, Mathew 25: 14-30, tells of a master who was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, he entrusted his property to his servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, (think of one TALENT...
“BEE” SWEET TO THOSE IN HONEY
Here is a great story about a little girl showing empathy for bees drowning in honey and her observations of how bees in a hive take care of each other and then analogized it to sports/life and being a good teammate and a Good Samaritan. It goes like this: Once upon a...
SWALLOW YOUR SPIT: TOUGHNESS IS PURPOSE IN THE FACE OF STRUGGLES
My next most favorite Biblical story after the GOOD SAMARITAN is DAVID versus GOLIATH. The act of facing overwhelming odds can produce greatness and beauty. The powerful and strong are not always what they seem - sometimes just BIG BULLIES dressed up...
PERFORMING UNDER PRESSURE: WEEDS & BUTTERFLIES
It’s hard to tell the difference between good pressure and performance anxiety. Good pressure is that feeling of anticipation - you have prepared and the event is significant to you and you are aroused, fully focused, fully...
COACHING INVOLVES EMPATHY; R.I.P. RICK
When we were growing up we use to bury “time capsules” in a bottle in the backyard hoping someday 100 years from now somebody we never got to meet but nonetheless we cared deeply about would dig it up and find clues to their wonders about “who were we”? Here are some...
CLIQUES & BAD APPLES CREATE HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENTS
Part of the challenge of building team chemistry is getting rid of the pettiness and gossiping and cliques and replacing it with a culture of inclusion and collaboration where everybody selflessly recognizes and appreciates the value and contributions of all. BAD...
25 CHARACTERISTICS OF BEING A GOOD TEAMMATE
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SERVANT LEADER? Below are the 25 characteristics of what is means to be a good teammate. Intertwined with being a good teammate or a good neighbor or a good leader is the concept of SERVING OTHERS. Now a days, especially in athletics, it’s...
TAKING OUT THE MENTAL TRASH
If you are trying to attain excellence, then you must be in control of your own thoughts and emotions. Negative thoughts and doubts and worry are common mental obstacles, referred to as MENTAL TRASH, that every competitor must learn how to deal with. (Author’s note:...