That was some of the advice given to me by my High School Lacrosse (and Football) Coach, Bob Macaluso, when I told him I had been hired as the Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach at SUNY Old Westbury, last winter. Those words have stayed with me, and resonate now more than ever, as am also working for FLG Lacrosse. As coaches, we often tell players to always be improving, “Get Better Everyday”. Coaches need to be doing this as well. How do we do that? We should be thorough and precise in our practice planning, no detail is too small to consider. We should make some time after practices, for debriefing and critiquing, to identify what went well and what did not go well. Then we can make corrections and adjustments to improve our practices. Collaboration is another important component of good coaching. Even the most knowledgeable coaches, should be learning from others. There is no shortage of resources from which to draw upon. Watch and listen to other coaches, from your sport or any sport. Read books and articles that will increase your understanding not only of your sport, but of how to better deliver your messages to your players. If you are coaching for the right reasons, you are probably doing a lot of this stuff already. If you have passion for coaching, working hard at your craft, won’t seem like work at all.
