It’s about constructively using your access point to the hearts & minds of young people.
“In a day and age where the world moves faster than ever & we are being conditioned to expect instant gratification..
Taking the time to actually build trust, rapport, and quality athlete/coach relationships with your athletes is the most underrated coaching quality in the world.”
-Ray Zingler on X
It goes fast, right?
Well, technically it goes the same speed, but because we are being conditioned to fill every second of our time with something (productive or not, who cares, amirite!?) and to expect instant gratification we are constantly looking around the bend towards the next thing.
This is what creates the illusion of “time flying”. It’s our lack of presence and being where our feet are, feeling, living, and growing in moments.
“Psshh.. you’re only on 2 teams at the same time? Loser.”
Or worse yet, coaches who coach multiple teams at the same time who are focusing on their next obligation (usually the one that produces the most $ — that public/private dynamic can get very spicy very quickly) at the expense of taking the actual TIME to build quality relationships with the players they are BLESSED to coach, who happen to be literally right in front of them.
Regardless of how you chop it up, it’s an adult issue, right?
Kids didn’t set the precedence, adults did. Kids are simply byproducts of the environment’s adults create and subject them to.
But what a great opportunity for the real coaches out there to press in, harness, and take pride in the art and act of coaching.
Remember, coaching, and another adult appointing you the title of “coach” are two dramatically different things.
Coaching is a gift. It’s one of the most gratifying, critical professions in all the world.
And coaching has a lot less to do with “what you coach” and far more to do with how you leverage your access point to benefit the hearts and minds of young people.
But we miss this simple fact every single day, because again, “LiFe MoVeS fAsT!”
Slow it down, then.
Take the time to get to know them and their families on a personal level.
Build trust, not the fake sh*t, the real stuff. Ensure they KNOW you care about them.
And then build rapport with them. How do you do that? By constantly showing up, following up, and following through.
And then dare I say, take PRIDE in the quality coach/athlete relationship.
Kid’s need REAL coaches, not average adults who are called coach.
Love and lead them or stay out of their way.
