Teaching Grit
Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness, Safe Spaces, and Mental Health days are common vernacular these days. According to CDC data compiled between 2011 and 2021,more than 4 in 10 (42%) students felt persistently sad or hopeless and nearly one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health, moreover, more than 1 in 5 (22%) students seriously considered attempting suicide and 1 in 10 (10%) attempted suicide. Always seek the guidance and assistance from trained mental health professionals as well as the parents of a child in your program who is exhibiting these signs, but as their coach, be an advocate for them and be someone who cares with honesty and compassion.
In Angela Duckworth’s best seller “Grit- the Power of Passion and Perseverance”, she argues that the defining characteristic in successful people is the ability to overcome and work through obstacles. Here are some quotes from this outstanding work:
“I learned a lesson I’d never forget. The lesson was that, when you have setbacks and failures, you can’t overreact to them.”
“Three bricklayers are asked: “What are you doing?” The first says, “I am laying bricks.” The second says, “I am building a church.” And the third says, “I am building the house of God.” The first bricklayer has a job. The second has a career. The third has a calling.”
“Grit depends on a different kind of hope. It rests on the expectation that our own efforts can improve our future. “I have a feeling tomorrow will be better” is different from “I resolve to make tomorrow better.”
― Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Instill in your athletes the values of pushing through and overcoming obstacles. Strengthen their character through friendship and a helping hand. It’s incredibly easy to give up, and many kids you encounter will need more help than the skills that you can provide them, but before succumbing to Easy Outs and Quitting, champion the gritty skills that can serve your athletes in the future. You can be the coach, at this level, that takes an average kid who loses his direction and channels that energy in a positive way.