Play Hard

When we coach young kids there are a few premises that we need to keep in mind:

1. Players participate for a variety of different reasons.
2. It's rarely going to mean as much to them as it does to you.
3. We do not know what 100% is for each kid - only they can tell us.
4. Players don't know how much they have to give until they've experienced it.
5. Sometimes we won't get 100% but we should strive to get more than yesterday.

If we can create an environment where it is fun to try without the fear of failure, kids will begin to give us a little better effort
every day.

And the funny thing is - it doesn't really change much as they get older.

I heard an interview recently with the Washington State point guard, Derrick Lowe. The legendary coach Dick Bennett retired and the job was passed to his son, Tony. Both are GREAT coaches. Lowe was asked why they were having such a great season after being picked last in the Pac 10 preseason poll. He said, "Last year we tried to play hard because we were afraid of what would happen if we didn't. This year we are playing hard because it's a little more fun and we are not as afraid of making a mistake."