Setting Your Athletes Up For Success

Hello!

It has been a long few days of travel and learning. I just returned from Las Vegas where I attended a mastermind exclusive seminar with my mastermind coach James Malinchak. He taught me and the rest of the group about advanced marketing techniques. It was OUTSTANDING! I learned so many secret techniques being used by top marketers and you would never know they are being used. I can't wait to share these techniques with my mastermind and coaching members, as well as my Speed Insiders. These techniques will make a huge difference in your marketing.

As I have said many times, you need to find a mastermind group or form one of your own. The ideas you will learn from others are valuable to your business and personal growth.

Setting Your Athletes Up For Success

The most important thing you can do as a coach is set your athletes up for success each and every time you train them. Many times coaches and trainers are un-knowingly setting their athletes up for failure.

When an athlete comes to you as a part of your sports team or as an athlete joining your athletic development program it is your responsibility to set them up for success. You need to do what ever you can (ethically) to give them success. Success comes in many different sizes and shapes though.

If you have an athlete that wants to make the 7th grade soccer team, it is your job to do what ever you can to safely and ethically help them do so. It might be making them faster or stronger or simply have more confidence in their ability. Now if a college athlete comes to you wanting to be drafted to a professional team, then you have to put a program together that will set this individual up for success. Don't mis-understand me, I am NOT saying hand them success. You have to teach them to work for their success. What I am talking about is you as their coach making the correct decisions during training to lead them toward a successful outcome. I also believe, if the athlete fails, it is your job to teach them failures are a step in the process of being successful.

Why am I writing about this topic anyway? I know many coaches want to do the best they can but they forget the goal is to have success on the court or field not necessarily in the weight room or agility room. Of course, you want them to be successful in the training room, but not at the cost of success in the sport.

I have seen many programs spend so much time in the weight room or doing "Plyos" that they over-train the athletes to the point of poor performances in their chosen sports. This is not setting an athlete up for success.

A smart coach who is working backwards from the final desired outcome to the start of the training program will recognize what is needed for success. Let me give you some examples of what this means to me.

1. Ultimately, I want the athlete to be strong, powerful, mobile, and well conditioned through out the season but especially at the end of the season.

2. I am not concerned about "beating their last weight lifted" in the weight room. I want an athlete that has the strength and power needed to perform safely and well at the end of the season.

3. I always look at the risk reward scale. If having an athlete attempts a new max lift has a higher risk of injury, but has little improvement in performance, versus doing an exercise that will challenge the nervous system (balance, body awareness, power output/force production), movement economy, and transfer to sport participation with low risk of injury, I will go the lesser risk exercise every time.

4. I always consider the fact that many high school athletes don't sit dormant when they are not training with me or playing their sport. They are involved in other activities as well that add to the fatigue factor. So, I always use less volume with greater focus and intensity on skill development.

These are just 4 things, of many, I consider. The fact this method has proven well for me for so many years, I tend to believe it works. I have had state champions in many sports, athletes go on to earn scholarships, and play professional sports. I think much of this success is because of what I didn't do (put them at high risk) as well as what I did do.

I believe athletes bring a lot to the table. They have natural abilities. It is my job to bring out the best I can in each athlete so they can go to the next level. It is also my job to back off and realize my job is only one step in their progression to being a better athlete. They have to put lots of practice in, eat well, hydrate well, sleep well, handle emotions, and many other social needs. I don't want to over-play my part and dominate the athletes time and energy. I simply want to set them up for success by giving them what they need and so should you.

Yours in Speed,

Lee

PS: A quick tp all of my Speed Insiders and Mastermind Members...I have an amazing interview coming soon with a man they call "Mr. Unstoppable." You do not want to miss this interview. He will make you realize how lucky we all are and the true abilities we have. If you want to listen to this exclusive interview go to http://www.speedinsiders.com/ to sign up now.