In My Blood

I love to coach. I read this article on why coaches coach. So it got me to thinking. I find myself coaching, even when I'm not coaching. Typically, I correct Nolan or Claire (even Angela for that matter) on basic everyday happenings in life. Listen to how crazy I am.

I coached Claire the other day on how to flush the toilet properly! We have a somewhat tricky handle on the toilet in the downstairs bathroom and I found myself breaking down how to push the handle down, then lift it up to prevent the stopper from staying up and having the water constantly run. I also explained why Claire should do this properly and what the benefits were to doing it correctly! I praised her for flushing after going potty, corrected her on how to lift the handle, then praised her again for being obedient. That's a criticism sandwich in the coaching world! (Side note: a criticism sandwich = positive praise + corrective criticism + positive praise)

I feel that I have a gift to coach. However, that's in my own mind; what have my former players said is the real test of my gift. I've spoken to former players and I always ask them if they learned something new from me, did they learn how to play the game better?

I have been encouraged by my time with RCTC baseball program and how open those players are to learning from me. I always make sure that what I tell them make sense to them, because if it makes sense to me, but not to them, I'm no good. Communicating properly is really what makes a good coach.