New Expectations

As my business continues to grow and expand, as I continue to work with different girls and families from all walks of life, I have realized that my expectations as a coach need to be clearly expressed and defined.

Those who have seen or been apart of my lessons, know that I put a lot of effort physically into each one; moving around, catching, throwing, demonstrating, mirroring movements, making adjustments, working out along side girls, etc. But maybe what isn’t as clearly seen is the amount of effort I put into getting to know the girls, to know what gets them motivated, what can bring out some of their competitive spirit, what will get and keep them intrigued and wanting to come back and learn more. I love building up a girls confidence, but to help them to also remember the importance of staying humble, and hungry.

I make it my goal to find what I can do to help girls realize, see, and achieve her personal goals.

My realization and my coming to terms with what I have experienced so far as a coach, is that I love helping girls with more than just the physical side of the game. As much as I love showing the basic skills, my job is not to stop there, and I have realized that I just can’t. I can’t sit and watch a girl throw into a net or a glove, or to hit off a tee for an hour. I can’t just bark orders and expect results or for girls to stay engaged and focused. If that’s what you are looking for, I have a great suggestion and she will charge you double what I do...

I run my lessons the way that I do because I enjoy it, it’s my passion to seek out a girls passion. To come up with new drills, exercises, methods, thoughts to help her achieve her goals. Call it being too intense or pushing a girl beyond what she even knows what she wants, and if that’s the case, I feel like I have also done my job to make her realize or get her wheels turning that maybe this shouldn’t be her path, that this is more work than she’s willing to put in, and I’ve in turn saved you the time and money of continuing lessons.

Please do us a favor though, listen to your daughter when she tells you that this isn’t for her, you as a parent, and me as a coach, have to realize that we cannot want her success more than she does. So when you continue to bring her in, I assume that she wants to be the best player on the field, that it’s her goal to become better, and will subsequently push her in that direction.

The game is so much more than just learning, mimicking, and memorizing the movements, it’s about overcoming adversity, rising up to challenges, learning from and surmounting failures along the way. It’s about doing the things you really don’t want to, taking direction, listening, and as much as I dislike this cliche…it’s about having a good attitude even if it’s just for one hour while under my roof.

I have witnessed that the most amount of growth happens when girls are pushed out their comfort zones, where they are given a little push towards thinking or acting a different way than what they’re used to, or in most cases, what they have gotten away with.

I’ll call a girl out on her poor attitude all day long, but if she refuses to answer my questions, gives me minimal effort, and I’m left feeling like I’m working harder than she is, my expectation is for her to figure it out by coming back with a clear vision and a list of goals before she returns.

I have accumulated too many girls with their goal bar set high, who are ready to put forth the work, and I need to make sure my schedule can accommodate those girls, first.

I am not a good fit for girls looking to just try out a position with no end vision in mind, just because it looks like fun.

This is me, this is who I am as a coach. Thank you to those who accept and respect me for being that kind of coach and mentor for your daughter.