Athlete Development Model

Chapter 1 - The Coach Returns!

It was a Saturday afternoon and I had just finished coaching a local little league team. I decided to watch some of the next game before I left the arena. While sitting in the stands I noticed a hockey jacket that looked very familiar. Even though I hadn’t seen him in a while, I recognized him right away. He was an old friend who is now a successful coach in the National Hockey League. Anxious to hear how he was, I approached him and asked what he was doing at the local arena.

“My daughter is playing in this tournament,” he told me. “There was a break in my schedule, so here I am!”

We continued to chat as we watched his daughter Emily play her game. His enthusiasm as a professional coach also came through as a very proud parent.

It was a great opportunity for us to catch up. As far back as I can remember, we always had fun discussing the performance side of sports. This time would be no different.

The Coach was always interested in what I was doing, and he was a big supporter of a sports journal I had written a few years ago. Seeing as I was toying with the idea of writing a new one, I cut right to the heart of the discussion. “How is coaching different today than it was a few years ago?” I asked.

He gave it some thought before he replied, “I think a lot has changed in how we need to coach, but what we need to coach remains the same.”

“Today’s sports culture is different,” he continued. “It is not better or worse than a few years ago; it’s just different. When we are coaching players today, we have to make connections. We have to know and understand where our players are coming from. The athlete needs to fully understand what coaches are trying to accomplish for the entire team. As for what we need to coach them, that is still the same. It’s about being prepared. It’s visualizing success, being energized, and setting goals. It is also so important to have a healthy balance between sports and life.”

“What do you mean when you say today’s sports culture is different?” I asked.

“It just seems to me that athletes today come up in a far more competitive sports system and have tremendous demands on their performance,” he answered. “We have to be careful that we don’t squeeze all the juice out of them, pushing them to succeed, as there is more to success than just striving to be a pro player. An athlete should naturally be able to use the performance skills they develop through sports in everyday life.”

“So we need to remember to always see the bigger picture,” I added.

“Exactly,” the Coach said. “You must always remember the big picture when you are playing sports. Always be open to gaining what you can from it. Try to be consistent in your approach and you will create possibilities for yourself in the future.

“For many kids today, the environment of getting into the right school, making the right team, or even landing the right job, is extremely competitive. Those who take in all of what their sport has to offer will have the best chance of making it.

“I think this is where a lot of parents get sidetracked. They sometimes forget that one day, we will all have to deal with life and all its issues. Parents need to enjoy their child’s participation, be there when they fall down and always fan the flames of their child’s desires to develop their own skills and talents.”

The Coach was on to me. “Coop, sounds to me like you are writing another journal!”

Now that all the cards were down, I confessed to him that I had been struggling to decide what the key message in my new journal would be. One thing I did know: I wanted my new book to help young athletes continue to have fun in their sport - no matter how competitive it got.

The Coach agreed and added that if athletes were not developing proper performance skills, they would not see any success in their sport. And without success, the fun is even harder to find.

“Coop, we have talked about this before,” noted the Coach. “It must be fun and focused. You can’t play a sport -- at any level -- without having fun in some way. Without the fun, the player will lose his or her interest and desire.”

“You also need a focus,” he added. “The key is that the player needs to develop this focus. Not the parents, and not the coach. The player.”

“That’s why I use the four off-ice fundamentals for my players!” he said.

Naturally, I asked to learn more about these four fundamentals.

Coop’s Corner
You must develop a FUN and FOCUSED approach to sports and life! This way you can enjoy being successful!

Click here to continue: Chapter 2