My last post was about “doing your best”…
And how, even when you have done your best, “there might be just a little more to give”…
And how that relates to my tag line… You Can Do More.
A little bit about that tag line…
There is a BIG difference between “You Can Do More!” and “you could have done more!”
One is an entreat, a plea to ignore what your brain and body are telling you and push on and persevere.
The other is an admonishment for not doing your best and results in guilt and diminished performance.
The mantra “You Can Do More” really is a double edge sword that needs to be wielded carefully. I do believe an important part of our job as coaches is to get our athletes to do more than what they believe (or their brain is telling them) they can.
I also believe that is an equally important job to acknowledge, praise, and rejoice when our athletes are successful, have given great effort, and have done all that we asked. They sometimes need to hear your loud positive “voice” in their head to drown out their own (and other) negative “voices” that are often so pervasive.
With young athletes, it is equally important that they first learn that “You Can Do This”… “this” being whatever tasks are before them… hard and challenging tasks… physically… mentally… or both… Initially, when first learning how to compete you don’t have to implore your athletes to “do more”…. just meeting the challenge you have given them is the first step… even if it is just a baby step…
“You Can Do This”
“You Got This”
“You Can Beat This”
Once they get used to being able to meet these challenges head on, and begin to have the confidence that “You Can Do THIS”…. once they get used to COMPETING… once they trust what you are telling them, then it is a simple progression to You Can Do More!
You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you… Don’t Believe It!
Related Posts:
Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com
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