One of my favourite things to do as a program facilitator? Create activities based on the interests and desires of our kids. Typically, our kids go through phases. For the first half of the year, it was all about the playground. Working to make everyday different, I'd often create games and activities that centered around … Continue reading Coaching Newsletter #9: Why dodgeball is the best game for all ages
Let me tell you a secret. I’ve worked with professional athletes across a few different sports now. (That's not the secret). There’s something that’s surprised me, fascinated me, and inspired me all at the same time. One singular thing. One singular thing that they all share in common. Every single one of them. They all … Continue reading Coaching Newsletter #8 – Being the best is overrated
Next time you get the urge to act without thinking, and you have time to think things through, stay patient. Take in as much information as you can. Walk. Observe. Then make every moment count once you have all the information. Save your energy for what is truly important. You'll enjoy a longer-lasting career that way, and live a more meaningful life.
I quit hockey and basketball before the age of 13. 70% of children in North America do the same. Yet still, coaches, "leaders", and even parents make the same mistakes over and over. They create an environment that de-emphasizes fun and fulfillment. They emphasize all the wrong things instead.
If you are going to take anything away from reading this article, I want it to be this: Learn more about your participants. Learn more about the people around you. Learn more about what they like, what makes them tick, and where they want to go.
Truth be told, there are millions of checklist items that help to form a successful coach, mentor, or leader. But at the bare bones of it all, successful leadership ultimately comes down to a focus on social relationships.
There's often a conflict between the old-school coaches who design "drills" focused on repetition, and the new-school coaches who provide actual education toward what players will encounter in a game. But in reality, the two can easily be merged together. You see, game-realistic activities around a specific session topic naturally allow for repetition toward the patterns our players will encounter in the game. In this coaching newsletter, I use my personal experiences as a part-time professional athlete in the sport of trail running to detail how game-realism and repetition can be easily combined together.
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