Coaching the big picture

Throughout the typical athletes career they will have many different coaches, as I did. Although all of my coaches growing up had great things to teach me about my sport, the ones that I appreciate the most now are the ones that took the time to teach me life lessons. Now that my competetive organized sports life is behind me, I carry on those life lessons that I was taught while a part of a team. Some, more in your face than others, like sometimes you will get your butt kicked but you have to stand back up and move on, and others more subtle and harder to learn like, learning to take something positive out of negative situations.

As coaches, it is important to take advantage of our (most of the time) captive audiance to instill lifelong values that our atheltes can use when they enter their "glory days" years!

The best example I can think of is the concept of mirroring people. If my basketball player wants to become a better shooter, then I will tell them to find someone who they think is a good shooter and mirror their actions. It's the same off the court, pick out things you like about other people and mirror those actions. It can be anything from how they organize their time to how them and their spouse treat eachother.

The athletic arena is such a great place to help instill great values and make great people. The options are endless and the opportunities are aplenty, so I challenge you to start coaching the big picture and not only, make students of the game but, students of life!

-KM