Chapter 7·The Coaching Gap
The Four Cornerstones
Not techniques. Four things that are true about the person in front of you.
FOUR THINGS THAT ARE TRUE, NOT FOUR STEPS TO RUN
RESOURCEFUL AND WHOLE
Nothing to fix.
A player who feels trusted plays free. A player who feels judged on every touch plays tight. The belief reaches the body.
The plan meets the moment.
The game never follows the plan, and neither does the conversation. Prepared and present are not opposites.
The whole kid.
What shows up at practice is a slice. Ken Lolla had every player share something they could do that had nothing to do with soccer, and the ranking in the room dissolved.
Evoke, don't push.
A person who doesn't want to change will not change because you pushed well. Connect them to what they actually want, and see it before they can.
THE HARD QUESTION
The last player on your roster: do you genuinely believe he could surprise everyone? You cannot fake this.
“Pressure from a coach who has written you off feels like punishment. The same demands from a coach who believes feel like belief.”
One thing to try
Pick the player you wrote a verdict on months ago, and go hunt for one piece of evidence against the verdict. Just one. Then watch your next conversation with him.
The Coaching Gap