Some of the best reasons for having kids participate in sports get lost in the shuffle behind aspirations of scholarships and accolades. But beyond those things, sports still teach kids (and adults) about life in ways a classroom or parent on their own may not be able.

As important as the fundamentals of any sport are, every coach can also benefit from understanding the fundamentals of brain or mindset coaching. Understanding this side of things can make coaching the playing field even more impactful. The best coaches know that the formula for success starts in our minds.

How do I know this? I was lucky enough to grow up with a coach who not only won a lot of ballgames but also taught me the concepts I later came to know as the fundamentals of my job as a life coach. Of course, I didn’t fully understand all of this until well after my playing career, but the groundwork was already there.. 

This series is intended to highlight concepts or ideas that help you take your coaching to a new level, and it will blend the wisdom from successful softball coaches with the concepts I teach and coach my one-to-one clients on every day. 

The core of this kind of work is based on understanding that our brains are storytellers. And, the stories we choose to believe about ourselves determine the results we create in our lives. That “Believe” sign in Ted Lasso may just be one word, but understanding the power of our thinking both for yourself as a coach, as well as for your players, can shift everything.

But, believing that something is possible is only one side of the story. Yes, you need to believe it is possible for you and your team to create the results you want, but you also need to understand how to navigate all of the other stories that your brain will offer you and your players’ brains offer them. 

Practicing believing that you will win a state championship or big game is great, but if you and/or your athletes are still thinking thoughts like, “we’ll never get there,” “we can’t compete at that level”, or “I don’t know how” you still need to know how you and they will navigate these mental roadblocks to your success.

Your thoughts about your team create your feelings about your team, and those feelings drive your actions and those actions determine your results. So if you are feeling defeated or uncertain, that will drive the actions you take in trying to move forward. Contrast that to how you might show up and prepare your team if you are feeling determined or curious or committed. It’s literally a different story in your brain that creates those emotions and drives different results.

The power of my kind of coaching is knowing that not all of our thoughts are true. When you have awareness of the story your brain is offering you, you have the power to rewrite it. So check in and get curious:

What are you believing about your team and about your coaching?
What are your athletes believing about your team and themselves?
What are the mental roadblocks to your team’s success?
What else could be possible?

While you and your team practice the physical fundamentals of the game, remember those fundamental skills are all dependent on believing it is possible to succeed at them.

Written for the The Fasptich Chronicle online - publication date October 2022