Duke head coach, Mike Krzyzewski or Coach K, reminds coaches to tell their players “You’re good.” When being enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2001, the following quotes were in Coach K’s speech.

“HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON OUTSIDE OF MY FAMILY WHO BELIEVED IN ME.”

Coach K shares what his high school coach, Al Ostroski, said to him at Webber High School.

“He was the first person outside of my family who believed in me. Believed in me enough to say ‘Go follow your instincts. You’re good’ We don’t say that enough.”

Coaching best practice is to accept the responsibility to be very careful what is said to a player, because it could have the most positive or negative impact on your player.

“THERE’S NO GREATER THING TO BE CALLED, BESIDES ‘DAD’ THEN ‘COACH’.”

Coaching draws on all of your abilities. My dad, Ed Mangiarotti, coached high school basketball, football, and baseball for over 25 years at Walt Whitman High School (Huntington, NY) - and today, at 92 year old, his players from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s call, visit, and reach out on Facebook to express their gratitude to and share memories with “Coach”. It’s the relationship they remember - as well as the memories of players, coaches, games, situations, and the fun.

Coaching best practice is to create a good relationship with each player.

“YOU’RE EITHER ON THE TRAIN OR YOU’RE NOT ON THE TRAIN.”

Coaching a group of players in their later teens and early 20s, when independence starts to occur, is a challenge. Getting your players to get “on the train”, to buy-in to your team culture, truly occurs when trust is built.

Coaching best practice is to gain trust through non-evaluative relationships with each individual player. Not judging, while supporting your players, grows trust.

“YOU’RE GOOD. WE DON’T SAY THAT ENOUGH.”

Players look to coaches for confidence. When a player lives in fear of being accused of making a mistake, the growth of that player is severely curtailed. Coaches letting players immerse themselves in the game and practice situations, free from being pulled out or called out by a coach - leads to optimal performance and growth as a player.

Coaching best practice is to help players gain confidence by allowing them to be comfortable in practice and the game.

“NONE OF US CAN DO WHAT ALL OF US CAN DO.”

Accountability to act in the best interests of the team, at all times, creates a culture of interdependence. When every player buys-in to the fact that they need to cooperate by adhering to team principles and rules, then the team’s success can be optimized.

Coaching best practice is to require players to adhere to team principles and rules for the good of the team.

All of us can grow when we commit to being life long learners. At sportsYou, our team, seeks to implement “coaching best practices” so that our organization can become the best that it can become.

To all the members of the sportsYou team, “You’re good!”

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Ed Mangiarotti

Co-Founder of sportsYou