Who are they tomorrow because of who you are today?
“The good ones coach X’s & O’s.
The Great ones coach Heart’s & Mind’s.
The good ones coach the Jersey
The Great ones coach the Soul.
The good ones coach for Today.
The Great ones coach for Tomorrow.
The good ones loves themselves.
The Great ones love them.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
I observe and study Coaches all the time.
From the pee-wee level at the local ball field to the highest caliber household names that live in the mass media.
Uncle Jimmy & Nick Saban may be wearing two different hats, but there is still something (positive, neutral, or negative) that can be learned from both of them. Heck, I believe there is something to be learned from everybody, whether that be good, bad, or indifferent, I’m not sure, but I do believe you can extract value through simple observation.
While you can obviously look at win/loss records and who said coach has “produced”, there is no tangible metric that differentiates a good coach from a great one. Using National Championships as a metric might work on the surface, but who are you (or me) to say that Wrestling Coach at that 2A High School in rural Idaho isn’t “Great”.
Knowing that there isn’t a concrete method to prove greatness, I recognize my interpretations are my own, you may have another interpretation of greatness when it comes to coaching and that’s fine. This is just how I see it.
Good Coaches are fine people. They are often very likeable people. They are well versed in their disciplines and they understand the X’s & O’s very well. Beyond that, they often have the ability to deliverer concepts to athletes very well, too.
Good Coaches love the kids, but often place winning at all costs over developing kids beyond the game. Good coaches coach for today because often they are more focused on themselves (and keeping their jobs) more than anything else.
I’m not knocking them one single bit. This is their livelihood and doing what you have to do to feed your family is honorable.
You might see my description of a Good Coach and think “damn, that sounds like a pretty good coach!”
Dang right. I agree.
But a Great Coach is a different breed.
A Great Coach is obviously focused on doing his job (winning games, improving athletic performance, etc.)
But that’s the baseline for the Great Coach
The Great Coach takes it a step (many steps) further.
The Great Coach isn’t living and dying on “coaching scheme” he’s intentional about coaching heart’s & mind’s.
He’s not Coaching the jersey so that jersey can help him win games & earn a Playoff bonus. He’s coaching Eric & Sarah because he knows they are more important than a number on a uniform. He knows sports are not who they are. He knows they are only something they do. He knows who they are beyond sport is most important.
He’s not coaching them because he’s focused on them “getting it all right, today” he’s intentional about the delivery of his coaching, wisdom, and impact having the potential to change the trajectory of their lives forever. In life outside the lines, where it matters most.
He’s not doing this for him. It’s not about Coach of the Year Awards or being recognized at the grocery store.
He’s doing this for them.
He’s doing this because he was put on this earth to love and serve them.
That’s the difference between Good & Great.
