Coaching Without Fear

“The opposite of fear is not fearlessness, but commitment. The highest form of commitment is an unparalleled focus on action rather than emotion.” - Laird Hamilton

It’s natural to think about the result. Every decision you make in a game can have significant consequences and affect the outcome. But the emotion that comes with that outcome can cripple your ability to make a decision.

I’ve felt it many times as a head coach. If I take him out, what if they go on a run? If we switch to zone, I don’t want them to hit a three. I have to put my veteran guys back out there, I don’t trust the freshmen. A big part of coaching decisions is assessing risk and reward, but if you are thinking too much about the results, you’ll never take the risk. You have to learn to make bold decisions to be great.

I love the above quote because I think it encapsulates the approach you need to have as a game coach. You don’t have to be fearless. You can have some apprehension about a negative outcome that might come from a decision. But you can’t let that emotion impact the right decision. That’s the challenge.

Your focus should be locked on what you need to do to win the game, not how you might feel if you don’t. The more you think about action and take away emotion, the more comfortable you’ll be with making a brave decision. It helps to prepare without emotion. Think about the scenarios you might face in a given game and what the best approach is for your team, and do it in a quiet moment by yourself. Make those decisions when you aren’t feeling the emotions of the game and you aren’t worried about a negative result. Preparing yourself mentally will allow you to make a brave call when needed.

Coaching without fear is not easy. The results are real, and it’s natural to think about what might happen. But prepare yourself ahead of time for the scenarios you might face, and think about the right decision for your team. When the time comes, take the emotion out of the decisions - as best you can - and think about the action necessary to help your team.