Coaching from the Heart

Great coaches are distinguished for any number of strengths. Some are successful as master strategists. Some are successful as master motivators. Some are great “players” coaches, and some are great disciplinarians. All coaches who achieve success harness varying degrees of each of these skills, but what is it that their players remember?

Rarely do players remember or laud their coaches for their expertise in X’s and O’s. Instead, they tend to focus on integrity, honesty, and love. I know it isn’t masculine to speak about love in the context of sports, but I contend that love is the key ingredient in sport, as it is in life. As humans, we pursue love and are created to do so. There is no greater motivator for good or evil than love. We grasp for it, cling to it, live and die for it. In sport it is a love for the game, love for the competition, love for the team, and, yes, love amongst teammates.

What is commonly remembered about coaches is how much they loved their players. Did they genuinely care about each one of them as people and as players? Was there more to them than just the game being played? When we speak of great coaches there will commonly be a recitation of the small things, the attention to personal matters, the guidance for life, and the discipline demanded through a heart of love.

As a coach, do you approach your team from your heart? Do you impart your love and passion to those in your charge? I don’t believe this concept involves becoming a professional counselor or giving out hugs like candy from a parade. Instead it involves a sincere desire to push your players to be better every day and imparting the skills, attitudes, emotional support (motivation), and physical support to do so.

Genuine care for every member of a team bonds coach and player and provides a firm foundation on which to build a program. If your players doubt your care or concern for them, then their ability to achieve is tied solely to their personal drive. When a player is coached from the heart, they are motivated to give their all for the coach, the team, and their teammates. In addition, it sets the stage for the lessons taught to be enduring in their lives and reverberate in society at large. Love your team and you will make a difference in their lives.