Coach to Coach: Enjoy the Ride

It had been a long time since I’d been on a college sideline as a coach. After 10 years of being a high school head coach, I was excited to be back and I was relieved to see the clock tick to zeros in a 45-13 season opening win. The entire coaching staff and every player had put tremendous effort into preparing for our opener and the final score reflected a great night for us all. As I walked off the field, I couldn’t help but notice the smiling fans, the players chatting with friends and family members and the general sense of happiness that permeated the home stadium. I also felt a sense of accomplishment but the more palpable feeling was that of relief accompanied by mental and physical exhaustion.

In all honesty, I felt disappointed in the fact that I was not as jovial as those around me. The question I had to ask myself is why? Had the joys of competing and winning been replaced with the mundane ritual of another game and another season? I hadn’t even arrived back at the lockerroom before I was recalling the mistakes that we had made and my perception of several missed opportunities. I have always told myself that the highs of winning are not comparable to the pains and lows of losing. I would need to re-evaluate my priorities and my focus. Can any of you relate to this feeling? Have you ever walked off the field after a victory and not taken a moment to really enjoy it? Have you allowed yourself to become such a pursuer of perfection that the ultimate goal of winning the game has lost some of its magic? Have you ever wondered if the payout was worth the investment? I am confident that many of us who have coached for any period of time can relate.

A day removed from the game, I congratulated our team on a great win at Monday’s players meeting. I applauded their effort, their intensity and their commitment toward winning and winning the right way. I explained that each win is a compilation of months and sometimes years of preparation. The seeds of victory were planted in the winter, spring and summer workouts. They were watered with sweat and cultivated on the 100-plus degree practice field in August. I reminded them that the three hours of competition  is simply the payoff of countless workouts,  conditioning sessions, the overcoming of physical injuries, the balancing of priorities and sacrifice of  time spent away from family and friends. It is always easier to accept these sacrifices following a win, but regardless of the outcome, the sacrifices necessary to compete must be made by all. And each of us that has played and coached has had to answer the internal question that asks “Are the hundreds of hours of work and the sacrifices required to compete on a handful of nights in the fall worth it?”

Several years ago I attended a clinic presentation given by then USC head coach Pete Carroll. The lecture, given to a room full of coaches, was aimed at cultivating a climate of enjoyment among the players and coaches. He spent over an hour describing his coaching philosophies and how he had acquired them. I was impressed and intrigued with what Coach Carroll had to say.

His message centered around his philosophy of developing the entire person and not just the football player or coach. He believes that his coaches and players have to enjoy practice, enjoy each other and be in a good mental place in order to maximize performance. He told the story of the day that he experienced the epiphany that has led to his commitment of cultivating the entire person and creating a fun and enjoyable climate with his team. As the young head coach of the New England Patriots, he vividly described how a visit to a youth football practice had changed his vision of what a practice and what a team should look like. He described an atmosphere of excitement and competition with fun and total involvement. This experience was the catalyst of what is now described as a “Pete Carroll” practice.

Previous to this encounter, he described his philosophy as one of hard work and mundane practices that resulted in a physical and mental environment that few really enjoyed. He explained that after being fired by the Patriots, he re-examined every aspect of his coaching philosophy. He  made a commitment to himself that his next coaching job would be different and a different Pete Carroll would invest in the personal and not just the professional; that he would develop the mental and not the mechanical.

Coach Carroll had decided that the development of the whole person was paramount in developing a successful and satisfied player. This philosophy resulted in tremendous success. His tenure at the University of Southern California produced some of the best teams that college football has ever seen. Currently, Coach Carroll has brought the same philosophy to the Seattle Seahawks, a team that struggled mightily prior to his arrival. I’m sure there are those who scoffed at his way of doing things; scoffed at his required quiet time and meditation for players; scoffed at having DJs and music at practice and scoffed at the focus of mixing work with fun at an NFL practice.

It’s not the old way of doing things. Many probably cringe that old-school football is now being replaced by a touchy-feely brand of football. The results, however, are telling. Seattle is now one of  the best teams in the NFL and much like Coach Carroll’s USC teams, it is evident  his players and coaches are enjoying the ride. 

In evaluating my 23 years of coaching football, the answer to my self-imposed question is a resounding YES! The payout is definitely worth the investment. However, I have also come to the realization that it is very easy to become overwhelmed with the daily responsibilities of the job and the mundane march toward game day. If we allow it, the commitment required to be great often overshadows the youthful joy and childlike wonderment that we once had about the game. If we’re not careful, it is easy to allow the daily grind to exhaust us instead of excite us.

I think Pete Carroll is onto something. Football doesn’t always have to be a grind. The journey to game day and the path of both successful and non-successful seasons is full of memorable moments that if allowed, can bring joy and fulfillment to even the sternest of coaches. A few simple changes and a slightly different approach may be all that we need to bring the excitement back. Much like Coach Carroll’s  renaissance in thought and approach,  we too can change the way we think. We can change the way we practice, prepare, communicate and win. There are many ways to do it but it takes an understanding that this game is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Hard? Yes. Exhausting? Yes. Trying? Yes. But in the end, the game is wonderfully  enjoyable and worth every ounce of sacrifice.

Finally, It’s been said that levity is the grease that oils the human machine. Laugh at some mistakes and don’t take everything so seriously. It’s okay to lighten up at times and allow special moments to resonate and make a positive impact in your life. I’m talking to myself as much as I am writing this for you. I recently made a commitment that I would always strive to walk off the field thankful for the opportunity to coach this great game. I am committed to taking the time to enjoy the wins, enjoy the players, learn from the loses and move on with a positive outlook. I like the following quote from Pete Carroll. “I love trophies, but they’re for old men, for guys living in memory,” he said. “I’m talking about, are we competing today, every minute, in everything we do in practice. Are we letting loose and daring to be great here and now? And can we sustain that? And repeat it. Trophies are great, but we’re trying to win forever.”

I certainly desire to win forever and from now on I will concentrate on enjoying the ride while assuring that when I finally do reach “Forever”, it will be with a contented smile on my face.