This blog post is from Coach Julie Richards. It’s a great example about us learning a lot more from our mistakes than from our successes—as humans and as coaches…
Coaches today have a much bigger impact on the lives of our young athletes than simply teaching them how to play basketball. We are key mentors and role models in teaching them about the game of life as well.
We teach them about qualities that they need to be successful—on the court, as a teammate, and in life. Things like effort, intensity, resiliency, and how to handle mistakes and failures (and that it’s what an individual does after a mistake that is just as important as preventing them in the first place).
Recently, there was a football play that was a great example of recovering from a mistake (it is also a beautiful display of athleticism and true grit). Have a look at this phenomenal example of “never giving up” by the Seahawk’s number 14, DK Metcalf.
After this phenomenal play, the Seahawks defence was pumped and inspired by their teammate’s tenacity. The defence took the field and shut down the Cardinals, stopping them from scoring a touchdown. Metcalf’s example of tenacity, effort and amazing athleticism inspired his teammates.
Ironically, a few weeks ago, during one of our practices, my team talked about a football player. This football player was an example of what “not to do”, the “don’t be that guy” example. This player was running towards the end zone and thought he had it made, slowed down and was sloppy. A defender on the other team chased him down and popped the football from his grasp. The sloppy player was none other than DK Metcalf from the Seahawks. Here’s the video.
Not only did Metcalf display an example of recovering from a mistake during a game. He also showed real character, by learning from his mistake in a previous game. Impressive.
As coaches we make mistakes (often!) This story is a great example of owning them, being transparent with your team about them, and about learning and growing from them. It’s also a great reminder of the need for patience and acceptance in the mistakes our players make. Remember, they are one of our greatest teaching tools.