DESIRE or FIRE?

Everybody wants something ... even our young athletes. The want to win, or they want to hit that homerun, or they want to score that touchdown, win that trophy or whatever. You could say the have desire. However, wishing for something is not enough ... desire only takes you so far. Desire in for an achievement or winning or whatever is almost like envy.  The want exists but many times it ends there and when it does,  desires go unfulfilled. 

What one really must possess is FIRE!   Call it a burning desire if you will.  That’s precisely what Napoleon Hill has written about … the burning desire for something and the will to achieve. Read his work “Think and Grow Rich” to get where I am coming from if you haven’t already.

We can’t coach this … we can’t give it to anyone … we can’t bring it out if it is not there … this is what many coaches refer to as HEART.  Athletes either have it or they don’t … yes it is absolute … it’s black and white.  HEART is not a gray area.  Here’s how I know this.  Some days athletes don’t have great days in practice or games.  Why?  I can tell you why … HEART.  When success comes without great effort, it is easy to have heart.  When it takes hard work, perseverance or just plain old grit only those with HEART push through.  Even the rough days are good days because with HEART it all seems worthwhile because from deep within the burning desire provides the fuel … the FIRE burns hotter.

Here’s an easy way to determine how much HEART someone possesses … take note of the number of excuses exhibited when a desired outcome is not achieved … also note if those excuses have anything to do with that person  … or if the person says I have done all I can do.  There’s the first clue … the desired outcome is out of their hands … how bad do they want it if they feel it;s out of their control.  When the FIRE exists, people put outcomes in their hands.

The message here is coach your players to work hard at all times.  Ask them to go harder than they ever have … get them to leave their comfort zones … encourage them to take some risks.  The may find their HEART.  Teach young athlete to NOT make excuses for poor performance … get them own it as their own behavior.  Encourage them to believe that they have control over themselves and what they achieve.  The will to win is exhibited in practice not games ... FIRE must burn constant!

If something seems like too much work … there is probably no FIRE!

Desire wins games ... FIRE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS! 

Coach Eggs

Grizzly 10U Poker Tournament

Concussions - EYES UP!

Concussion talk is everywhere. Now more than ever, concussions are the topic for discussion everywhere it seems.  From professional to pee wee and football to lacrosse...it seems you can't look listen or read anything realted to sports without concussions being a part of the conversation.

Concussions cannot be eliminated by helmets or any other piece of equipment for that matter.  They can however reduce the risks and the severity in many cases.  The reality is that if the head is accelerated or decelerated with enough velocity to cause a collision between the brain and the inside of the skull a concussion can occur.

As a youth football coach, reducing the risk of concussion is a critical responsibility. Proper teaching and evaluating technique is the most significant thing we can do to reduce the risk of a concussion.

Eyes Up!  I must have said this a million times.  Teaching the kids to keep their eyes up is probably the first thing that should always be taught and drilled daily.  Eyes up also allows the player to see what they are hitting.  Many coaches talk about "Seeing the Tackle" as well which is a great phrase.

Get Low!  I hear coaches say this all the time.  Make no mistake, getting low is important.  However, getting low the right way is even more important.  We have to make sure our kids are bending at the  knees and getting their butt low as oppossed to bending at the waist and getting their head low.

Run Through!  When we talk about runing through what we mean is stay on your feet.  Leaving the feet or diving puts the athlete at even more risk.  At contact it is key that the player continues to drive those legs and run throught the target.  One wise coach I know says "Step on His Toes".

There's certainly more to discuss when it comes to making what is known as a "Good Collision" in football but I will leave it here for now.

"Head Up...Butt Down"