by Garret Kramer
As a result of the recent heart attack suffered by Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio, the coaching profession has once again come under scrutiny. The long hours, the pressures to perform, and the criticism of the press or public have repeatedly been cited as reasons why qualified candidates might think twice before accepting a head coaching position. I agree that the time has come to address the lifestyle and health of coaches. Yet more significantly, for the benefit of the noble individuals who gravitate to this line of work, I believe it’s time to recognize that external demands have absolutely no power to regulate a coach’s life in any way.
Far too many coaches blindly follow the conventional thinking that “hard work” determines success.
These days, the sporting world tells us that accepting the position of head coach goes hand-in-hand with long hours, and that long hours go hand-in-hand with stress. Coaches have bought in to this misconception. For example, at the end of last season Florida football coach Urban Meyer took a leave of absence. His reasons: the grind of coaching and the effect that it had on his health and family life. What Meyer didn’t discover until he took time off, however, was that it wasn’t the hours spent on the job that were “killing” him at all; it was his state of mind during those hours that was doing the trick. Plus, it wasn’t the lack of time with his family that was problematic; it was his state of mind when he was with his family that was creating the apparent issue.
You see, regardless of your job description, it’s never the time applied that will determine your level of satisfaction, well-being, or achievement—it’s always your level of clarity while on the job. It’s no accident that at the end of last season Urban Meyer’s coaching effectiveness declined along with his health. When we feel the compulsion to toil away, our clarity plummets, the perceptual field narrows, and poor coaching decisions result.
Stress is created by a coach’s thinking; not his line of work.
Now, I am not saying that the common coaching tendency of sleeping on the office couch will be helpful or hurtful. I am saying that spending all night at work just because that’s what you’re “supposed” to do, or plugging away when your gut says you aren’t getting anywhere—will always be detrimental to your team’s performance and your physical condition. Many coaches have accepted the erroneous notion that “The harder a person works, the luckier a person gets.” For a coach or a player to be truly successful (or lucky), first and foremost, he must perform from an unencumbered state of mind. The amount of time put in is only relevant if that time is applied from an elevated or free psychological perspective.
Likewise, it is valuable to understand that a coach’s level of stress is always created from the inside-out; not vice-versa. So, unlike the suggestions of many in the self-help world, coaches should look to lower their tolerance to stress, not increase it. The only thing productive about a stressful feeling, is to let a coach (or any of us) know that he is about to steer of course.
Throughout my life as an athlete, coach, counselor, or friend, I have always been eager to immerse myself into my pursuits—to roll up my sleeves and apply myself fully. However, regardless of this willingness, my achievements have originated from quiet and simple states of mind. My mistakes (and ill health) came from fighting way too hard. Remember, for a coach to realize all the joys that his position potentially offers, he must commit to operating with complete clarity. If not, it becomes impossible to recognize when his state of mind, his physical condition, and his career are moving in a negative direction.