Six Words You Should Say Today

"I love watching you play" and here's why:

 http://www.handsfreemama.com/2012/04/16/six-words-you-should-say-today/

The next time you feel the need to guide, instruct, or criticize after a ball game, performance, or extracurricular activity, instead consider six simple words: “I love to watch you play.” 

Furthermore, if you become emotional simply by watching someone you love in action, consider these six words, “I love to watch you _______.“

In some cases, less is more. 

Less can be exactly what they need to hear. No pressure … just love, pure and simple.

How to Rebuild a Program - Stephanie Norman, Louisville Basketball

Jody Conradt Keynote Address

4/27/2012

Below are some notes I took from Coach Conradt's keynote address at A Step Up coaching symposium in Dallas this weekend. Watch for much more A Step Up information over the next few weeks!


This is a PROFESSION; teach one, reach one- each one.

Coaching is not just recruiting; what's most important is being a student of the game; setting your self apart and rising above. Coaching is teaching- be a lifetime coach.

Be a giver.

"Opportunities don't go to the best kept secret"

Make no mistake...coaching is a winning business. Accept the challenge. (Win every day, all day, in everything you do).

An important element of leadership is helping others love our passion for women's basketball.

Recruiting
-Culture is defined as the core values on which something is built. This is the hard part...trying to get your student-athletes to use their talents to be part of the team.
-Team is defined as a group of people brought together with common purpose.
-Need to lead SA's to "doing the right thing" by promoting and upholding standards of the team.
-Consider the PSA's culture when recruiting them to your team. Evaluate their home life and high school experience (AAU is temporary; mostly in the summer, limited practices, etc)

Important Player Qualities:
1. Focus/Intensity/Passion/Willingness to commit to goals and achieve them/Natural enthusiasm
-need athletes who believe its fun to compete in practice!
-todays athletes don't want to compete and make each other better....they're afraid of making each other "look bad" (it's almost like you need alter egos in practice so kids can leave emotions at home).
-It's up to us to create an environment where competition is fun and healthy
Remember....life's not fair; accept responsibility (the ABILITY to RESPOND! Event + Reaction = Outcome).
 
2. Willing to accept their role
-What happens when you wine and dine a player, then they sit on the bench their freshman year?
-Who on your team OWNS rebounding? Steals? This must be developed by coaching staff through repeated emphasis.
-The best compliment a player can get... "When you are on the floor, everyone plays better"
-As a coach, avoid saying "my" team. It's the players team! Help make them feel that way- allow them to create team rules. This creates a sense of ownership and shared responsibility. Avoid calling them "kids"- this is a built in out for immature behavior and other ills! Think of the qualities we hate to see in kids....do we ever display those? Lead by example!
-Selfishness and ego will kill teamwork more than anything.
 
3. Communication- listen, sense, feel.
Women are more preoccupied with relationships than achievement; they want to please their peers more than adults.
Often, a roommate or teammate will be the peril of one's academic/basketball woes. Ask the player- have you talked to this person about the issue you are having? Odds are there is a lack of communication.
-Create an environment of communicative efforts!
-Give examples of situations and ask the team to answer. For example: Your teammate is in the parking lot/cafeteria/room with their boyfriend or girlfriend. They show up to workouts late and tell the coach that they were finishing a test and talking to a professor. The entire team knows where that athlete was but the coach accepts the tardy excuse and moves on. What do you do? Answer: the team should police, protect the team and uphold its standards. Teammates should let that player know that is unacceptable behavior and if it happens again then there will be more serious consequences.
In life there are consequences just like in basketball- when you foul 5 times, you're out!

-Leadership is an art, not a science. Need to learn when to nudge and when to show...when to hide and when to be visible...when to use the stick or the carrot...when to shout or whisper.

Chemistry fits in with confidence. You have to like the sense of team and environment. Understand your team members! Encourage confidence in each other- it will only help you! Respect- don't have to like everyone.

Important qualities in assistants:
1. Teacher- on Coach Conradt's staff, no one ever missed more than 5 practices per year. Why would you punish an assistant with that?

2.  Mirror the HC's values

3. Competent piece for the program. What is their expertise and does it fit in/balance out staff?

4. Complete the HC's weaknesses and fill other assistant's voids

 
 Q&A

How do you delegate leadership? 
"If you're a senior, you're a captain"



What is coach's role in promoting the program and growing the game??
Regarding marketing: it IS your job to get people in the seats and newspapers to cover you!
MBB are like bankers...people with lines out the doors, plenty of business.
WBB are like insurance salesmen...must go door to door!

WBB sells on personality and story of players.

Think we do need players names on their jerseys for public recognition.

Contribute or Contaminate

Easy enough: you're either contributing or your contaminating the practice court. Great video.

Is your coaching style adaptable to the new generation?

Here's a simple fact with huge effects: you cannot coach today's kids the same way you coached a team 10 years ago. Are you making the adjustment?

Below are 5 characterizations from the article The Most Technologically Advanced Yet by Sherry Posnick-Goodwin that pinpoints how today's "Generation Z", "Generation @" or "iGeneration" cohorts (generally born between 1991-2001) experience the world and what effect this has on how we teach and motivate them.

1. Technology has led students to expect instant results for all things, says Daniel Watts, a computer graphic arts teacher for at-risk youth at Elinor Lincoln Hickey Junior/Senior High School in Sacramento. “I gear my curriculum so students can experience success as quickly as possible. It’s motivation for them to want to learn more and take it to the next level.”

How coaches and teachers can adjust: emphasize the importance on the process and focus on small victories every day. Set them up for success- break complex drills/plays into bite-size chunks so they can experience success early; then, challenge them little by little every day, slowly moving them away from their comfort zone.

2. “They need constant feedback because of the immediacy technology has given them,” agrees Duane Mendoza, a technology resource teacher at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard.

How coaches and teachers can adjust:  provide them with a measure of their success every day. For example, 2 years ago I worked out with a great young basketball player getting ready to play for a nationally ranked team in college that fall. One weakness was obvious: the player lacked quickness. The first 20min of our workout was dedicated to improving quickness with line-jumps, defensive slides, and sprints, as well as other basic basketball drills like Mikan layups, x-outs, ball handling, etc. I bought a handheld clicker-counter (I think it's used for baseball) and tallied each repetition in a specified time frame (example: how many right foot line-jumps in 30 seconds? How many slides, x-outs or Mikans in 45 seconds?). As the weeks went on, I charted and graphed the player's progress. I gave them a visual graph showing each workout and the time/number of reps in each drill, and the player could see their improvement day by day!

3. Every generation, for better or for worse, has a set of characteristics that define them. For Gen Z, the dominant trait is that they are masters of multitasking and can talk, text, listen to music and look up information on the Web without missing a beat.

How coaches and teachers can adjust: if you are talking, and one of your players is chewing their nails and not making eye contact, are they being disrespectful? Are they not listening? It seems like this multi-tasking may actually help them focus on what you are saying!

4. Some mental health experts believe that a constant stream of electronic information is causing a form of technology-induced attention deficit disorder. John Raley, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, uses the term “acquired attention deficit disorder” and says that technology is rewiring the modern brain.

How coaches and teachers can adjust:  Drills (for coaches) or lesson plans (for teachers) should be quick, concise, packed with information and have a clearly defined time limit. On the practice court, instead of reviewing 25 minutes of zone defense, it is probably beneficial to break that into 9-10min segments throughout practice.

5. Elias Aboujaude, director of Stanford University’s Impulse Control Disorders Clinic, has expressed concern that young people are losing the ability to analyze complex information.
“The more we become used to just sound bites and tweets, the less patient we will be with more complex, more meaningful information,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “And I do think we might lose the ability to analyze things with any depth and nuance.”

How coaches and teachers can adjust:  vocal teaching, pre-game talks, half-time adjustments, explaining new ideas and concepts, and teaching something brand new should focus on a few simple points and be communicated clearly and simply (KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid).

Vic Shaefer's talk at the Final Four

Below are some notes I took when Texas A&M Assistant Coach Vic Schaefer spoke at the WBCA Convention at the Final Four last year (the day his Aggies won the National Championship!).

-Assistants and Head Coaches can agree to disagree...but, when you disagree, it should be about what we think is best for the program or team.

-The Head Coach should talk to parents about intangibles, but let the Assistants handle the crises that arise.

-Knowledge of the game is so important!! WATCH THE GAME!! (See my post on "deliberate practice" here)

-Professionalism is so important...what you say, how you dress...

-Know you're stuff- we aren't paid to be wrong.

-Be a voice to your Head Coach. Sometimes, bosses need to think it's their idea about a game plan or something that will benefit the team/program.

-Go to work early and stay late.

-Emotionally invest in your team!

-Teach kids to be accountable and to hold each other accountable (it's not personal, only work!). For example, run on the 3rd missed block out.

-It's not WHAT we do...it's HOW we do it

-Trust is the foundation of A&M's defense....tight ball pressure = susceptible to penetration. Need to trust your teammates' rotations, etc.

-Post defense is played 35' from the basket (bump and get position early)

-Make your team uncomfortable in practice so they are better prepared to face adversity in games (and life!)

-Clear minds make plays. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

-A&M has a foundation of the same 3-5 drills everyday

-BE WORTH POINTS EACH GAME (on defense!)

-Defense is a LEARNED response.

Culture beats strategy...All day long!

How Do You Weigh Strategy, Execution, and Culture in an Organization's Success? -Article from Harvard Business School by Jim Heskett

Strategy, execution, and culture: Do we have our priorities right? 

"An outstanding strategy weakly executed will always be trumped by a weak strategy with outstanding execution.

What if you had a plan to be president of the USA? You could have a perfect plan. A brilliant one! One, that if put on practice, it would give you a 100% chance of being the next president of the USA.

There is a catch. It's extremely hard to accomplish and you can't do it alone. Actually, you need the best people available, you all have to be believe you can do it and above all, you have to learn how to work together.

Other than that, the plan is perfect.

It's all about people. It's all about making ideas become reality.

Reality is made of people, doing small things, every day. It's not about abstract ideas that in the realm of imagination look good.

Is strategy good? Of course it is. It gives us a goal, direction, things to care about, helps us to work together.

But it's not everything. And actually, it's not even a must.

You can win without a strategy. You could be lucky. You could have other people who care about you and help you in your objectives. Your competitors could make the wrong choices.

There are an infinitude of variables that just makes every good strategy a good guess.

Strategy gives you an edge, but it's nothing without people (culture).

13 Key Habits to Help You "Seize the Day" Part 1/2

From Success Magazine, Paul J. Meyer, 2009.

Part 1/2

1. Be an inverted paranoid: Believe that the whole world is conspiring to do good things to you.

2. Be a quick forgiver: We don't have time to waste in unforgiveness.

3. Be optimistic: Believing the best of people and circumstances is a sure way to find the best.

4. Be thankful: Always give thanks for the blessings in our lives.

5. Be an encourager: Encouragers make you feel better, stronger and more capable of accomplishing something. Be that for someone.

6. Be spontaneous: Have a sense of urgency and a do-it-now attitude

9 Important Teaching Points for Your Drills

The following are notes from Morgan Wootten's Basketball Camp around 2005...these were given to Joe Wootten from Kevin Eastman (Boston Celtics Assistant Coach) and passed on to the camp staff:

1) Basketball is a game of inches (John Stockton; slow, but sure)- Attack ankles/Attack hips, etc.

2) Pound dribble for better handle on the basketball

3) Play the game low to high (on screens: cutter's shoulders should be at screener's hips. Quite a bit happens away from the ball so shooters, be ready on the catch to go up into your shot without hesitation)

4) It's a shoulders game (Posting up and defense)

5) Shoulder- Hip through contact

6) Feet first, ball second (go by- not around)

7) Find your feet on shots (if you have to look down to find yourself on the floor, don't shoot it!)

8) Use your eyes more: when setting screens, see back of defense's head, "eye" the game in setting yourself up in a scoring position)

9) Be ready for the next play

A Rebounder's Mentality

"It's not what you teach that's important; it's what you emphasize that counts".

That phrase rings true for me in many situations.

In the game of basketball, there is a ton of focus (and rightly so) on technique. We want our players to execute skills in the most efficient manner possible. Is there a point when this emphasis on technique becomes overbearing and the ?

I love this one simple rule of rebounding... "Rebound as if you were going to be rewarded $5,000 for every ball you track down".

Do you deserve to win?

Rick Pitino opens his book Success is a Choice with the following: "Winston Churchill's rallying cry for the British people during WWII was simple and succinct: hoping and praying for victory was fine, but deserving it was what really mattered.

What does it mean to 'deserve victory'?

According to Churchill, victory comes only to those who work long and hard, who are willing to pay the price in blood, sweat and tears. Hard work is also the basic building block of every king of achievement: Without it, everything else is pointless. You can start with a dream or an idea or a goal, but before any of your hopes can be realized, you truly must deserve your success. This may sound old-fashioned in this age of instant gratification, but from the Sistine Chapel to the first transcontinental railroad to today's space shuttle, there's no mystery as to how these things of wonder were created. They were created by people who worked incredibly hard over a long period of time."

Tex Winter: Essentials of Coaching

 Read this post on another great blogger's website. Enjoy!

What makes Tex Winter so great is that his principles regarding the game of basketball remain true no matter what era. Because of his principles, he was able to remain influential as a coach his entire career which was over 50 years. Here are Tex Winters Essentials of Coaching:




A. The answer to success in coaching does not lie in some form of super strategy, or some ultra super plan.

B. Success, overall, does rely on basic sound teaching abilities. The ability to teach the fundamental skills (basic basketball) to the individual athlete is critical. Your players must understand that their natural ability can take them only to a certain level.

C. Athletes must strive to break those physical barriers of endurance, speed, coordination, reflex action, jumping ability, etc., to truly become a better athlete.

D. As coaches we must develop and organize out of season programs that promote greater total development of our athletes, so that they can break those physical barriers.

E. Total preparation of the mental, emotional and physical aspects of athletes then permit greater technical preparation.

F. A player has not learned a fundamental until it becomes second nature (a habit). Automatic reaction is the goal of skill execution. No thought process necessary: react.

G. Basketball is a game of total quickness; a game of reaction.

H. Athletes are in the process of learning and have not learned a skill until they can perform a skill correctly and quickly while involved in game situations, automatically.

I. The coaching objective is accomplished through continuous repitition of drills and exercises.

J. Practice does not make perfect--only if the proper techniques and mechanics are being practiced. Proper techniques become movement habits.

K. Repetition must be done with high levels of interest, enthusiasm and in an exciting manner until it becomes an instinctive reaction.

L. One thing that highly disturbs me is the fact that I see so many bad habits being practiced today at all levels, from the junior high to the professionals.

M. We must demand correct execution of basic skills.

N. Design practice time and situations so that it provides the technical know-how for the individual and the team of all the phases of the game that we plan to use in the total game plan.

O. Practice sessions must be so designed to lead to superb physical conditioning. Basketball is a game that cannot be played properly, unless you are in the very best possible physical condition.

P. Evaluate your practices to determine if they are designed to prepare the individual player; physically, technically, mentally and emotionally. If these factors are included then we should be able to visualize victory

Quote of the Day:

"Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable." -Lord Chesterfield

Positive Teaching Techniques That Inspire Improvement

Some snippets from an excellent article by Sheri Jeavons! 

If you’ve ever tried to coach someone to stop doing a particular behavior or to change a certain action, then you know how difficult it can be to break bad habits and alter their ways. Why is it often so hard to help people improve, even when you specifically point out what they’re doing wrong is hurting them? Because most (young) adult learners are self-critical, and they typically don’t learn by hearing negative feedback.  

 

In fact, the natural tendency for most people is to defend their existing behavior, no matter how disruptive or self-sabotaging it is.  If you really want to motivate someone to go to their own next level, then you have to do so in an authentic way, with positive, solutions-oriented language.  Here are some coaching techniques that inspire people to improve:

Coach the positive rather than critique the negative: In order to build your (team members) to the next level, you need to first identify what you want them to achieve. Once you have determined the positive behavior, you can then determine the skill sets that can build the team/person to the desired outcome.

For example, in a selling situation, most new salespeople will naturally want to tell all they know about their company. They talk about the company, about the product, and about all the reasons why someone should buy from them. In the midst of all their talking, they neglect to ask the prospect open-ended questions that prompt dialog and encourage the prospect to reveal wants and needs.

In order to get the salesperson to change his or her approach, a typical manager might say, “In that last call I noticed that you did most of the talking and then ran out of time to ask questions.  Do you really feel you know what the prospect needs?  Next time ask some questions before giving an explanation and see if you can get them talking.” This kind of feedback focuses on the negative first, which could result in the employee shutting down prior to hearing your suggestions. 

A better approach, and one that will motivate the salesperson to be more open to change, is to say, “For the next call, let’s talk about how we can facilitate more discussion with the client.” 

See the difference?  Instead of criticizing what you don’t like, you’re stating what you’re going to help the salesperson achieve. With the criticism gone, the salesperson is automatically more open to your suggestions. Some other lead-in statements you could use are:

• Let’s have you experiment with this process…
• Let’s talk about taking you to your own next level…
• Let’s discuss how we can engage the customer to create more conversation…

After the salesperson hears your willingness to build their skills, then you can give specific suggestions to help them facilitate discussion with the client. Keep it positive so they are motivated to listen to your advice.

Ask the other person what he or she needs to learn:  Asking people for their input regarding their own performance engages them about skill sets they want to fine tune and potentially learn.

After you ask someone what he or she would like to improve, have the person clarify in two or three statements some very specific things they would like to learn. This enables you to get agreement that change and improvement are necessary. Next, have the person prioritize what he or she feels the most pressing learning objective(s) should be. Lastly, give some coaching tips and learning ideas so the person feels they have some power in the learning process. Now you’re empowering the learner to have a say in their own change. 

What should you do if one of your teammates often gets defensive during meetings? Instead of saying, “That meeting didn’t go very well. You were a little defensive,” simply ask, “How do you think the meeting went?” Most people will know (and admit) that the meeting didn’t go well. Then immediately ask, “How would you have handled that meeting differently?” Listen to what the person says and coach to those points.

If the person doesn’t seem to say anything of value, then refer back to the first point and say, “For the next meeting, let’s talk about how you can take your skills to the next level. In particular, how you effectively facilitate a meeting.” 

 

Focus on the future: During your discussions with the person, always talk about “next time.” Never go back and recreate the bad situation. For example, with the person who becomes defensive during meetings, rather than point out when he or she became defensive, you could say, “Next time, when you find that you’re getting in a defensive conversation with someone, immediately put on your facilitation hat. At that moment, stop defending your position and start asking questions.”

Begin the coaching dialog directly after the behavior has occurred – within 24 hours – so the event is fresh in the person’s mind and he or she can grow from it. Never wait until a yearly performance evaluation to give someone feedback.  

 

By using these coaching techniques on a regular basis, you will motivate and inspire people to improve. By providing feedback with positive language, people will look forward to your coaching sessions. When that happens, you’ll have professionals eager to change and achieve to their own next level of performance.

Theme for your team?

The following is something I gave to our coaching staff when we were trying to come up with a Team Theme for the year; something that outlines the coaching staff's goal and vision for this season that we can consistently refer back to as a foundational message.

“Be the BEST we can be EVERYDAY”

One day at a time

I.               Be the absolute BEST we can be EVERYDAY!

a.     It’s a goal that is process driven as opposed to being result oriented.

b.     We can apply this goal today, tomorrow, and the next day.

c.      It can be applied in the classroom, weight-room, conditioning, practices, games,; absolutely anything.

II.             Make winning an attitude

a.     With a combination of practice and belief, the most ordinary team is capable of extraordinary things.

b.     “Attitude lies somewhere between emotion and logic. It’s that curious mix of optimism and determination that enables you to maintain a positive outlook and to continue plodding in the face of the most adverse circumstances. But while attitude is a state of mind, it is also based on a few hard certainties. There is nothing mysterious or illogical in the certainty that you are willing to work harder and longer than your opponent, even when you are behind in a game. That small piece of self-knowledge gives you something to hand on to. It’s how comebacks are born”. –P. Summit

III.           Success everyday

a.     "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." –J. Wooden

IV.            Finish

a.     The team must learn to finish in drills, both in practice and in conditioning, before they can consistently finish plays and games. The coaching staff will push the team to “finish”.

V.              Mental Toughness

a.     Mental toughness is one of the few traits that affects everything else on the basketball court

VI.            Communication

a.     We want to talk more, talk often, and talk loud.

b.     Listening is part of communication

VII.          Discipline yourself so no one else has to

a.     The real achievers are those who form positive work habits

b.     Make hard work your passion.

"Reach for the Summit" Notes Part III

 

• Make Winning an Attitude.
• Combine practice with belief.
• Attitude is a choice. Maintain a positive outlook.
• No one ever got anywhere by being negative.
• Confidence is what happens when you've done the hard work that entitles you to succeed.
• Competition isn't social. It separates achievers from the average.
• You can't always be the most talented person in the room. But you can be the most competitive.
  There is nothing wrong with having competitive instincts. They are survival instincts.
• It's what you learn after you know it all that counts the most.
• Change equals self improvement. Push yourself to places you haven't been before.
• Handle Success Like You Handle Failure. You can't always control what happens, but you can control how you handle it.
• Sometimes you learn more from losing than winning. Losing forces you to reexamine.
• It's harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb, Continue to seek new goals.

"Reach for the Summit" Notes Part II

• Self discipline helps you believe in yourself.
• Group discipline produces a unified effort toward a common goal.
• Discipline helps you finish a job, and finishing is what separates excellent work from average work.
• Do the things that aren't fun first, and do them well.
• See yourself as self employed.
• Put the Team Before Yourself.
• When you understand yourself and those around you, you are better able to minimize weaknesses and maximize strengths. Personality profiles help.
• Success is about having the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
• Know your strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
• Be flexible.
• Teamwork doesn't come naturally. It must be taught.
• Teamwork allows common people to obtain uncommon results.
• Not everyone is born to lead. Role players are critical to group success.
• In group success there is individual success.

"Reach for the Summit" Notes Part I

• There is no such thing as self respect without respect for others.
• Individual success is a myth. No one succeeds all by herself.
• People who do not respect those around them will not make good team members and probably lack self esteem themselves.
• Being responsible sometimes means making tough, unpopular decisions.
• Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you're never wrong?
• Loyalty is not unilateral. You have to give it to receive it.
• Surround yourself with people who are better than you are. Seek out quality people, acknowledge their talents, and let them do their jobs. You win with people.
• Value those colleagues who tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear.
• Communication eliminates mistakes.
• We communicate all the time, even when we don't realize it. Be aware of body language.
• To make sure that they are getting her message, Coach Summitt has asked her players to respond to a correction in practice by saying "rebound," and to being praised by saying "Two points."
• Make good eye contact.
• Silence is a form of communication, too. Sometimes less is more.
• Discipline yourself, so no one else has to.

Coaching vs. Teaching

Following up on today's quote, below is an excerpt from an article written by former Duke basketball player and current ESPN analyst Jay Bilas on the difference between "coaching" and "teaching" basketball.

Generally, "coaching" consists of team preparation, the devising of game plans and
schemes to defeat opponents. When you are coaching, you are dealing with strategies,
different offenses and defenses, and putting in plays to take advantage of the skills,
strengths and weaknesses of your players. The measure of a coach is the quality of the
development of his system, and has been distilled into winning.

"Teaching" consists of instruction and training of individuals in the fundamental skills of
the game, and in teaching players how to play, instead of how to run plays. The measure
of a teacher is not in winning, but in the fundamental soundness and skill level of the
players taught. A player with excellent fundamentals and skills can play successfully in
any system.

We are basketball teachers- much more than simply a "coach"! Teachers have a great responsibility to develop and maximize student-athlete's potential; they focus on individual development and team cohesion.

For the full article in PDF format, click this link.

Got some time? The 10,000 Hour Rule.

 

In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers: The Story of Success he repeatedly talks about the "10,000 Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.

Gladwell claims that greatness requires enormous time, using the source of The Beatles' musical talents as an example. The Beatles performed live in Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964, amassing more than 10,000 hours of playing time, therefore meeting the 10,000-Hour Rule. Gladwell asserts that all of the time The Beatles spent performing shaped their talent, "so by the time they returned to England from Hamburg, Germany, 'they sounded like no one else. It was the making of them.'"

In our multi-faceted role as coaches, it's easy to get lost in the busyness of day-to-day operations in the office, on the court and on the road. Carve out a set time for yourself each day to dedicate to professional development- read a chapter, watch a YouTube video, find some good blogs. A little bit of time each day makes a big difference!