The Problem With Consistency.

In a previous post I mentioned the Three C's of coaching and how one of the main elements of successful coaches is their consistency.

It is an element I have made small steps towards for longer than I care to remember. I am a passionate person when it comes to this game. In the old days they used the term - "wearing your heart on your sleeve" - which meant simply, there was nothing hidden, your emotion was visible for all to see.

That in essence is the thing I have tried to tone down in the last few years because with the quantum leaps forward this game has taken and the sophistication of coaching and development methods. It is no longer enough to just be able to motivate your team.

The question I keep coming back to personally is, if I am to remain consistent in my approach and message to my team, what happens when your season is essentially over but you still have a LOT of practice ice that you cannot dump? What does one do when the players feel that there is nothing left worth playing for. Or, if the team is changing drastically next season, so why should they care?

Conversely, will that just serve to confuse them, make them lose focus or will it have the desired effect?

What happens if they tune you out? Do you remain consistent with your message or do you go off the rails and try to motivate them in other ways? Worse yet, what happens if you don't even try to get them back? There has to be a way, some happy medium, it is after all why we coach. To find answers, to provide solutions. Not to give up.

I have five practices with the team in which to experiment. Is it part of the education or evolution of a coach, or just my cross to bear? I cannot wait for the Easter Tournament.

For example, as we grow in the coaching arena, we find that there are so many levels (peaks and valleys) of developing an athlete these days. Each time you drill down and think you've reached the bottom, there is another, then another, then another and so on. The players are so much more knowledgeable and educated these days that it is almost a full time endeavour to stay ahead of the game. Add to the equation the irrefutable fact that each player is as different as a snowflake, a leaf or blade of grass. While it may not be immediately apparent to the naked eye, the closer you look, the less alike they truly are.

We as coaches spend more and more time each season dealing with issues outside the game, in the dressing room or with the athletes home life. This in itself is a never ending education, once you think you've got it covered and under control, you are hit full force by another dilemma.

The one common factor is that while it is often frustrating and maddening, it is never boring or dull. The constant ebb and flow in the Bell Curve that is the coaches learning curriculum.

Most of us would never change a thing nor trade in any experience we have faced. Even the worst situation can push you down the winding path of coaching maturity and knowledge.

I will keep searching for the answers, keep my eyes open for the magic bullet or Holy Grail of coaching perfection. I doubt I will ever find it but, it will certainly be fun trying.

Remember - A single blade of grass, in the breeze is an uninspiring, singular vision. However, an entire meadow of grass on a warm summer's afternoon, being caressed by the wind to perform a water-like ballet, each blade moving together in unison, is a sight to behold.