The Gift of Struggle
coach note James Leath coach note James Leath

The Gift of Struggle

A man once tried to help a struggling butterfly out of its chrysalis by slitting it open. A beautiful butterfly emerged, but its wings were tiny and not yet fully formed. Since the process was prematurely interrupted, the butterfly could never fly. Trying to shortcut the process and help, the man instead doomed the creature. The struggle is necessary for the butterfly, as it is for us.

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coach note James Leath coach note James Leath

Girl Push-ups

Your words matter. Your influence is strong. What you tell your athletes will echo in their minds for the rest of their lives. Chose your words carefully. 

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what makes a great coach?
coach note James Leath coach note James Leath

what makes a great coach?

If you want to be an effective teacher, coach, manager, or parent, you need more than a title to be influential. Whatever role you have in a person’s life, you can only impact a person as far as they let you. So when you get that chance, put your teacher hat on and give them your best stuff!

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a whisper of inspiration
coach note James Leath coach note James Leath

a whisper of inspiration

Coach, next time your athlete makes a mistake, take a deep breath and talk to them in a whisper. They know what they did wrong, and if done right, you might create a moment that athlete will remember the rest of their life.  

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decisions, distractions, and disappointments
James Leath James Leath

decisions, distractions, and disappointments

Notice the emotion. Name the emotion. New choice?
I use this strategy with kids in the classroom and during sport. It is a great way to start a conversation about how emotions can cloud our decision-making process and lead to uncomfortable consequences.

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spartans and mental toughness
coach note James Leath coach note James Leath

spartans and mental toughness

"How do I get my athletes to be more mentally tough?" This is the most popular question I get from coaches and parents. They want to know how to teach an athlete to "tough it out" or "grind with a smile." I could go on and on, but let's get to the meat of what I want to share—a practical application on learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

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