The COACHING class, Principles of Coaching, at The University of Akron has garnered interest around the sports world.
ESPN wrote about it this summer as news of former Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel teaching a class on coaching ricocheted among fans, students and curiosity seekers everywhere.
It is important to know this is a class on coaching and a class for coaches and coaching wanna-bes. There is No Crying in Coaching. The class is taught by Tressel and the first coach to hire him in the 1970’s, Jim Dennison. The class is designed to provide a foundation to mostly students, undergrad and graduate, who plan or hope to coach at some level, some day.
Attendance at each class is worth 30 points. Just showing up as they say, is worth something. One ten minute break separates the guest coach from the class session.
So the Coaching Principles Class was to be held the night before Thanksgiving. Students had knowledge of this all semester. The week before Turkey Day apparently many creatures were stirring and they must have been stirring up to the administration offices, or at the very least to their mothers. Because a couple days after last week’s class students received an email that there will be no class on the eve of this most religious of holidays, the eat all you can eat holiday.
This may seem like a “duh” moment, to not have class the night before a holiday. BUT this is a COACHING CLASS. Coaches coach whether it is Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving. There is No Crying in Coaching.
Pittsburgh and Baltimore play on national TV on Turkey Day. Do you think their coaches say to the owner or team, can’t coach it’s a holiday?
On Christmas day when we stay home and stay warm, does the Miami Heat Coach say sorry, it’s a holiday when the team plays on TNT?
The list goes on and on. And it is not just on the professional level. High schools play on Thanksgiving. What are those coaches to do?
This is A COACHING CLASS, people. Show up. Even if it was the first night of Chanukah. Because coaches have to show up. There is No Crying in Coaching.
Some lessons learned about coaching and life in the fifteen other weeks we did have class:
- Some people are driven by fear. Not by rewards or winning but by fear. Being driven by fear is OK.
- Visualize success. See yourself doing good things.
- Coaching a great player is different than coaching a good player.
- Set goals. Even if you have to teach your players what a goal is and how to achieve it.
- Separate goals that require skill and those that require effort.
- Identify your strengths as a coach. Hire assistants with qualities that are your weakness.
- Great players know and respect their weaknesses.
- What works for one player does not work for another.
- There is no such thing as a bad win. Wins are never as good or perfect as they seem. A loss is never as bad.
- Every one stroke (in golf) matters.
Woody Allen is credited with saying 80% of life is just showing up. Good luck to those coaches who think that you get holidays off.
Read more posts by Leslie Ungar here.
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