Coaching: Have Fun!

One great joy as a dad and a parent is seeing a group of kids having fun. I think too often we forget that when we are playing sports, we are playing a "game." Games are meant to be fun. Whatever happens at the age of 7 is not going to dramatically effect their .000001% chance of become a professional athlete. But, we are humans, we are competitive, and we want things to be fair. We have all had our moments on the sidelines screaming at the referee over something that wasn't right. But, what are we teaching our kids by doing that? Honestly, it's hard, because you want your kid to be competitive but also not out there cussing at the umpire. This is where most people insert the term "sportsmanship." "Good Game! Better Luck Next Time!" I see nothing wrong with teaching this to a young player, but what happens when a kid spits in your face or pushes you when no one sees? Do you still have to say good game?

Let's take a few steps back. I have been an athlete my entire life and have seen it all. I have been called names, thrown at, stepped on, the works. Does it suck? Yes! Does it mess with your head? Yes! Do you say something? Yes! But, do you turn around and charge the pitchers mound with a bat? Probably not the best idea. The one thing that I can say is, "Leave it all out on the field." If you can focus on yourself, go has hard as you can, with a positive attitude. Then, you will be surprised with the results. Nothing stings an opponent more than knowing what he is doing does not work. I just recently watched the show "Undeniable" with Joe Buck where he interviewed Jimmy Johnson, the famous head football coach. During the interview ,Jimmy stated that he would always follow this equation: PA+E=S  (Positive Attitude + Effort = Success). If you give me everything you got, with a positive attitude, the results will come. He doesn't talk about winning. He doesn't talk about sportsmanship. He focuses on individuals and this is the point I want to make. As a coach, I try to teach my players to focus on themselves. Number one rule: have fun (aka: positive attitude)! Rule Two: Focus on yourself, our team! Don't worry about anything else. If you work hard, and leave everything you have on the field, win or lose, you did your best (aka: effort). If the other team cheated, whatever, because that's what they had to do in order to win. They may have won, but they didn't beat you. Once your players can understand that, you will be surprised with the results. They will start to grow and get better because they will focus on improving themselves, be better than yesterday. While having fun, they will push themselves harder, focus on the areas they need help with, and enjoy seeing themselves improve (aka: success)

Again, games are meant to be fun. If you are losing all the time and struggling, your player won't play that sport again. But, if you can encourage them to work hard, praise them every time they improve, and have fun doing it, win or lose, they will come back year after year.