Notes from Coach — Chapter 1

Being a coach is complex. The hardest part is calling players out on their shit and trusting they trust me. (Building trust with a team is a whole ‘nother chapter.) That’s my purpose. You want to get better right? Well, here’s the facts. No bs. If coaches fed you bs, do you think you would excel?

“That kick was great!” as you shanked it left.
“Your pass was good!” as it didn’t even have enough OOMPH to make it to your teammate. Coaches that don’t have the gusto to call out their players mistakes aren’t doing their jobs.

In sport and life, if a coach/friend told you you were super all the time, then you went into competition and failed miserably, who would you be mad at? Your coach! Constructive criticism of mistakes coupled with empowering support is how a coach coaches properly. For every 1 call out, you must praise 3 times.

And guess what? We LOVE you. Honestly. We love you. Most coaches won’t tell you that, but they do. That’s why they show up every practice and every game. You’re our team. We’re teaching you to play the game to the best of your ability. Every time we call you out, it’s from our heart space. Because we know you can do better. And you do.

Yes, it takes time and consistency and hard work. But you get better. We see it. You feel it.

Again, coaching is complex. It’s fun, rewarding and highly entertaining. We love seeing players and friends develop and play to their full potential. Ahhhh, beautiful.

Coaching is us. It’s who we are. It’s how our brains are wired. We SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE. Brilliant coaches carry these traits into every day life. Most coaches are great friends because you’ll always get the truth. No beating around the bush. We tell it to you straight. And believe me, it’s still straight from the heart.

Take it or leave it. Do what you will with what we say. Just recognize the importance of having a coach friend in your life. Appreciate their honesty and input because you know they’re seeing something you aren’t. And really, how much bs can you take before you realize it’s done absolutely nothing to help you? We’re saving you from a lot of unnecessary messiness. Then again, in life, sometimes you have to get dirty before you realize there’s a better way to do it. We’ll support you during that shit storm too.

Love,

Coach Colleen

p.s. Chapter 2 is going to talk about stepping into your power and confidence of calling out mistakes. It takes guts man. Don’t worry, a lot of opportunities will pass you by aka mistakes on YOUR end. It happens to all of us! Just don’t stop talking, keep coaching!