For coaches
Players who push through.
An excuse always sounds best to the person saying it. That doesn't mean a coach has to accept it. Here's how Coach Isaac answers the ten he hears most, and the pages he hands his own players.
Get the free journal for your teamThe ten excusesTen excuses. Ten answers.
I always encourage you to tell me what you're feeling. But that doesn't mean I have to accept it. Because if I let your excuse win, then every difficulty that player runs into in her life, she'll use an excuse to avoid trying to get past it. So almost always, the first thing I do is get the player to face the difficulty. I don't hand her the escape hatch right away.
Almost every time, my responses get you to at least try to push through the difficulty first. And usually, you make it.
Chapter 11 of From Gazelle to Lioness.
Spring doesn't last long. Now is the time. You've got an opportunity right now. With me, in the gym, with your parents behind you.Chapter 1, The "Get Serious" Talk
From the blog.
Posts for coaches and team parents, from Coach Isaac's book and practices. Read one, then hand her the printable at the bottom.
- 1She's not lazy. She's stuck.No focus, no time, or no confidence. Send it to your team parents. At the bottom there's a one-page printable for the athlete.Read it
- 2"I can't," and nine other excusesWhat a coach says back, and a one-page printable with all ten for each player.Read it
- 3Trash talk, without becoming someone you're notThe first thing he teaches every player, boys and girls: ignore it, or "Fair enough." And a one-page printable for each player.Read it
- 4Afraid of messing upFear of criticism in young athletes: the signs, the three questions, and a one-page printable for each player.Read it
- 5Mental toughness for young athletesOne scary thing a day, the sit-up test, and a one-page printable week for each player.Read it
Two more things from his practices.
Trash talk
The first thing I teach every one of my players, boys and girls, is: don't give in to trash talk. If someone says something, makes a comment, teases you, you have to ignore it. That's the best defense against trash talk there is.
Here's another way I use. I like to laugh at myself. I tell them they're right. And then they get confused and don't know where to go from there. The words I use are "Fair enough."
Say it so it sticks
Rhymes make things stick better. Say I want practice to be a little quieter. I'll say something like "less chatter, more ladder," or "less yapping, more lapping." My players get what I meant, and they remember what I said, because it's so simple and catchy. And the first time I say it, it sounds a little funny, too.
Chapters 15 and 16.
Pages for the whole roster.
Three questions, thirty minutes
A one-page printable for every player on the roster. What do I want to have? What do I want to do? Who do I want to be? Print it and hand it out after practice.
Open the pageThe Mindset & Goals Journals
Season goals, game day pages and monthly check-ins, sport by sport. You can print a copy for every player on the team.
See the journalsFree: The Mini Journal
Every player closes the last game with a clear head and shows up to practice with one thing to work on. Seven pages, one a day, five minutes a day. Share the link with your parents' group, and every player can download it. Letter and A4.