- 1. Early morning practices taught you the value of sleep. Because staying up the night before would make practice that much more brutal.
2. Those extra sprints at the end (the ones that made you hate coach just a little more). Those taught you the value of dedication. Because when you finished, you felt 100% better than if you had quit half way through.
3. The hundreds of cuts off the tee taught you that hard work really does pay off.
4. Most importantly our coaches taught us the value of teamwork. They expressed the importance of putting others before ourselves, because that was the only way your team could be successful.
5. The amount of push our coaches used on us was a direct reflection of how much they believed in our talents and skills.
6. It's not the way our coach yells at us, it's the content of the message that really matters.
7. Conceit is self-given so be careful.
This one is for the parents:
- 1. While you believe in your child 100% it's crucial you understand their true talent level.
2. Admit when they're good and admit when they've made a mistake and when they need work.
3. Talking badly about your child's coach says more about you than it does about them.
4. Before you cry "favoritism" look deeper and try to figure out why your child may not be getting playing time.
5. DON'T TALK NEGATIVELY ABOUT A TEAMMATE, COACH, OR ANOTHER TEAM around your child. Because they'll assume it's okay to talk about others that way. When it isn't.
6. Don't make excuses for your child's errors. Your friends don't need them and your enemies don't believe them.
7. With that being said. Errors happen, what's important is to teach your child to never give up.
This one is for the coaches:
- 1. "A word of encouragement during a failure means more to a player than a word of praise during a complete play"
2. Whether you believe it or not, players need a "groove" in order to be successful. Pulling players in and out deflates their confidence.
3. During a game that you can afford to lose, it's critical you don't pull players during a "clutch" situation. When you do, you're sending the message that you don't believe in their abilities.
4. Remember while boys listen to the content of the message, young girls pay attention to the WAY you say the message. Try to keep the heated yelling to a minimum. Instead of yelling, pull the player aside and speak normally.
5. Never turn your back on your team. Even when they continue to fail time and time again in the box, even when they make error after error in the field. NEVER let your team see you drop your head. They look to you for guidance. Provide it.
