MLB Father's Day Gear Presents: MLB Updates Featuring- Lo mejor del lunes en Grandes Ligas-Watch all the home runs from May 28, 2018

Shop MLB Father's Day Gear!

Los batazos claves de Altuve, Grandal y Rosario destacan entre lo mejor de la jornada [Video Below] About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB) is the most historic professional sports league in the United States and consists of 30 member clubs in the U.S. and Canada, representing the highest level of professional baseball. Led by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., MLB currently features record levels of labor peace, competitive balance and industry revenues, as well as the most comprehensive drug-testing program in American professional sports. MLB remains committed to making an impact in the communities of the U.S., Canada and throughout the world, perpetuating the sport’s larger role in society and permeating every facet of baseball’s business, marketing and community relations endeavors. With the continued success of MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network, MLB continues to find innovative ways for its fans to enjoy America’s National Pastime and a truly global game. The American League consists of the following teams: Baltimore Orioles; Boston Red Sox; Chicago White Sox; Cleveland Indians; Detroit Tigers; Houston Astros; Kansas City Royals; Los Angeles Angels ; Minnesota Twins; New York Yankees; Oakland Athletics; Seattle Mariners; Tampa Bay Rays; Texas Rangers; and Toronto Blue Jays. The National League, originally founded in 1876, consists of the following teams: Arizona Diamondbacks; Atlanta Braves; Chicago Cubs; Cincinnati Reds; Colorado Rockies; Los Angeles Dodgers; Miami Marlins; Milwaukee Brewers; New York Mets; Philadelphia Phillies; Pittsburgh Pirates; San Diego Padres; San Francisco Giants; St. Louis Cardinals; and Washington Nationals.

Firm Foundation Catching

by Danny Sheaffer
About this Course

Receive over an hour of instruction and drills to help you become a better catcher. The information in this program comes from Danny's program that he wrote for the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros. This instruction is now available to you! 8 Major Sections of Focus
1. Receiving
2. Game Management
3. Blocking
4. Footwork and Throwing
5. Plays at the Plate
6. Fielding Bunts
7. Pop-ups
8. Wild Pitch/Passed Ball Professional Drills
This video contains 20+ drills and variations to rehearse and refine the essential skills that are needed to become an elite catcher. These are drills that Sheaffer has put professional players through during his entire coaching career. Catchers at any level can benefit from working through each of these drills. Exclusive Instruction
This video is also filled with practical instruction on how to run a pitching staff, how to call a game, how to manage the umpire-catcher relationship, and much more... Endorsements
• "Danny Sheaffer's program gave me all I needed mentally and physically. This catching program helped me to where I am today. I fully recommend it to all levels."—Yadier Molina, St Louis Cardinals
• "Danny Sheaffer's program gave me the tools and skills needed to succeed in the transition from College to Professional baseball."—Jason Castro, Minnesota Twins
• "Danny Sheaffer's program is the perfect place for a young catcher to put a sound foundation in place. His development of Major League All-Stars and Gold Glovers is directly related to his experience and expertise behind the plate."—Bobby Heck, Tampa Bay Rays
• "Learning from the best means learning from Danny Sheaffer. As a former MLB General Manager, my job was to know the best baseball coaches in the world. Danny has that reputation in the MLB catching world."—Kevin Malone, Former General Manager with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Montreal Expos
• "After 50 years of coaching college baseball, Danny Sheaffer's instructional catching video is the most comprehensive and complete collection of needed skills to excel at any level of baseball."—Ron Polk, 50 Year College Coach
• "Knowledge. Experience. Passion. These are only a few words describing Danny Sheaffer. if you want to grow and excel as a catcher, his video should be a "go to" tool to watch over and over again."—Keith Madison, American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Coach Credentials

Danny Sheaffer

Danny began his career with the Boston Red Sox after being selected in the first round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft. During his 18 year playing career he spend 8 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox, Indians, Rockies, and Cardinals. Since then he has spent the last 19 years as a manager or a catching coordinator in the Cardinals, Astros, and Rays organizations. Danny has managed every level of Minor League Baseball, and created a developmental catching program for The St. Louis Cardinals and Then Houston Astros. During his years in player development he has won awards in each of the organizations he has been a part of.Playing Highlights
• Home Run in first MLB game
• Member of the inaugural Colorado Rockies team
• Started and played 8 positions in the Major Leagues
• Played in the 1996 NLCS
• Hit .340 for AAA Pawtucket in 1986 Player Development Awards
• George Kissell Award, St Louis Cardinals
• Player Development "Man of the Year" award, Houston Astros
• "Future Major League Manager", Baseball America Players Managed
• Yadier Molina
• Jose Altuve
• Hunter Pence
• Adam Wainright
• Dan Haren
• Jason Castro
• Skip Schumaker
• Jason Motte
• Chris Narvenson
• And Many More...

Book This Course...

Minding Your Business! Keys to Be Successful in Business Marketing

Presented on US Sports Net by Yahoo Small Business. By: Jerzy Banas

Business marketing is when a business markets and sells its goods and services to other businesses or organizations. These other organizations may resell these goods and services or use them in their own business to support their operations. Business marketing is often called as industrial marketing or business-to-business (B2B) marketing. The perfect example of Business to business marketing is the automobile industry. Automobile companies buy various spare parts such as tires, batteries, electronics and door locks which are manufactured independently by other businesses and sold directly to automobile manufacturers to assemble automobiles. Even the Service industry is also engaged in large number of business to business transactions. For example Companies specializing in housekeeping provide services exclusively to other organizations, rather than individual consumers. Business-to-customer marketing is when a business markets and sells its goods and services to retail consumers for personal use. While most companies that sell directly to consumers can be referred to as B2C companies. The business-to-consumer as a business model differs significantly from the business-to-business model, which refers to transaction between two or more businesses. Business market (B2B) vs. Consumer marketing (B2C) B2C marketing differs from B2B marketing in a number of key ways. A Business market has very few customers as compared to a consumer market which has large numbers of customers. A business market usually sells a customized product where as a consumer market sells a homogenous product. A Business to business transaction is a huge value transaction as purchase quantity is very high where as business to consumer transaction is a small value transaction. Price can be negotiated in business markets where as price is usually fixed in consumer market. Business markets have lengthy and complex selling process with multiple decision makers but in consumer market buying decision are simple and are made by individuals. Keys to success in Business markets are: 1) Value creation & Customer satisfaction Business begins with value creation. It is the prime objective of the business to create and deliver value in an efficient manner which will ultimately lead to profits. Value leads to customer satisfaction. Customer experience is an integral part of B2B marketing. The customer experience is the key brand differentiator, even more than the price and product. Get 25% off websites at Yahoo Small Business with code WEBSITE25 2) Social media marketing Social media marketing is when a company uses social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter to market its product or services. Social media marketing is one of the best and efficient platforms for marketers. Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools which enable companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of ad campaigns. Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing including current and potential customers. 3) Mobile marketing Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy whose aim is reaching a target audience on their Smartphone, tablets, and other mobile devices through email, SMS and multimedia messages. Smartphone usage has increased multiple times during the last few years, app usage has also highly increased. Therefore, mobile marketers have increasingly taken advantage of Smartphone apps as a marketing resource. Marketers aim to optimize the visibility of an app in a store, which will maximize the number of downloads. This practice is called App Store Optimization (ASO). 4) Multimedia Content Marketing Marketing using Multimedia content attracts more customers. B2B marketers are widely adopting this trend. The primary driver is the desire to make content more engaging, compelling, and shareable than just the traditional modes. The most common forms of visual content include 360-degree videos. 5) Effective Personal selling & Executive Branding Distribution channel is the path through which the product reaches the final customer. Personal selling is the most preferred form of distribution and promotion used by B2B marketers The sellers promote the product through their attitude, appearance and specialist product knowledge. Executive Branding is when an executive showcases his professional strengths as a way to attract the customers. Executive branding is also known as reputation management. Especially in B2B environments, executive branding is now considered a necessity. Senior management must create and develop their personal brand image to attract new customers. We are content publisher of stokz.com website about finance, business, stock market and financial forum

yahoo, web hosting, yahoo web hosting, hosting, website, small business, web services, internet services, hosting services, web design, domain, domain name, homepage, webpage, small business services, web server, dedicated hosting, shared hosting, online services, online hosting, online web hosting, web site hosting, small business hosting, 

CoachTube Football Presents: Under the Radar Top Prospects Featuring: 🔥🔥 6'5 QB Aaron McLaughlin Class of 2021 | Buford High (Buford, GA) Under The Radar Spotlight on US Sports Net!

🔥🔥 6'5 QB Aaron McLaughlin Class of 2021 | Buford High (Buford, GA) Under The Radar Spotlight | Twitter @11_apm [Video Below] See More UTR Videos

Presented on US Sports Net By CoachTube Football.

3 NFL ZONE RUN PLAYS FROM WEEK 7

• By Alex Kirby
 

---

Learning the ins and outs of the run game is a big part of learning how to coach offensive line, so lets take a look at three examples of zone run plays from the past week of NFL games.

1- Dolphins vs Bills

The offense takes the field with 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) and puts both receivers to the left side. This forces the defense to show their hand and “declare” for one side or another.

The strong outside linebacker starts to widen and try to split the difference between the tight end and inside receiver, which in turn gives the tight end to that side #48 Marqueis Gray plenty of room and a good angle for his kickout block on the front side of the play.

At the snap, the left tackle and left guard have to deal with a defensive end at the five technique slanting into the play, but they do a great job of working together here. The left tackle gives the DE a shove and passes him off to the left guard, which because of the way he knifes into the backfield here, makes the decision a lot easier for running back Jay Ajayi.

On the backside of the play, the right defensive end does what he’s supposed to do here, reading the movement of the offensive tackle and trying to restrict his movement. The right guard is supposed to work in tandem with the center to get movement on the nose tackle, but in this case the nose slants where the offense wants him to go, and the guard is freed up to go after the inside linebacker on the backside. He doesn’t quite get there, but fortunately for Ajayi and the offense, he isn’t able to change direction quickly enough, and the cutback path is all clear for a big gain.

2- Broncos vs Texans

This time the frontside DE slants inside once again, just like the play before, but this time the frontside tackle does a much better job of getting hands on him and passing him off to the guard, while the tackle continues his climb to the near inside linebacker.

Meanwhile the tight end kicks out the outside linebacker to his side to create the other half of the running lane.

The backside of the play is set up to accommodate a cutback run if the defense forces it that way. Having the fullback Andy Janovich lead up on the near inside linebacker adds a more “downhill” element to this play. The backside tackle and guard block out on the defensive linemen across from them, so it’s almost like two plays in one.

3- Jets vs Ravens

Baltimore lines up the fullback out wide at first, before sending him in motion back to his traditional spot in the backfield.

The fullback is inserted on the weak side of the formation as a lead blocker, but for all intents and purposes, Baltimore has the same number of bodies to the weak side as if they ran to the tight end side.

The fullback leads up on the near inside linebacker, but not before he gives the three technique defensive tackle a good chip. Meanwhile, the center blocks out to help on the three technique, and once he’s sure the guard is getting movement on him, he’ll turn his eyes to the backside inside linebacker and try to seal him off from the frontside of the play.

He’s unsuccessful, but by the time the linebacker makes contact on the ball carrier, he’s already several yards downfield, and the play has served its purpose.

Want to learn more about the run game?

Click here to learn from one of the best offensive line coaches in the business.

GAMES TO GAINS: EPISODE 3

In Episode 3 of Games to Gains, we continue following Kerby Fortner during his first week of training ever! Follow along as the co-founder of BPI Sports, James Grage, coaches him as he tries to put on muscle:

After our first day of training, which just so happened to be leg day, the big question was, did Kerby survive? That day, as soon as I got home, I picked up the phone and called him.

Kerby: Hello?

James: Kerby, it’s James.

Kerby: Hey, James, how you doing?

James: The question is, how are you doing?

Kerby: Man, my legs! Walking up the stairs, I’m already a little bit sore!

James: But you’re alive. You didn’t die!

I knew he lived on the second story of his apartment building, so I knew that was going to be a struggle for him making it up those in the afternoon.

The next workout is shoulders. In order to keep the workout to an hour, we did supersets. I like to use a combination of cables and dumbbells for shoulders. Be sure to start light. I think that’s one of the biggest mistakes people make with shoulders, is trying to go too heavy.

Shoulder Workout:

Cable Reverse Flyes

DB Lateral Raises (lying face down on incline bench)

Single-arm Cable Lateral Raises

DB Lateral Raises

DB Shoulder Presses

Upright Row (with plates)

A lot of people, when they do shoulder presses, they’ll sit on a bench, put their feet up and lean back. As soon as you lean back, you start using more chest. Be sure to sit upright on the end of the bench. This will force you to stabilize your core. Press straight up.

“He’s hanging in there, he’s doing a good job. His body is just weak. His whole body’s weak,” James says. “There’s not being strong and then there’s weak. He doesn’t have very good body control. A lot of this isn’t just strength, it’s coordination. In the beginning, he’s going to have to build up his coordination. Then, I think he’s gonna see a dramatic jump in strength.”

Watch the full episode above to find out James’ plan to accelerate this process and help Kerby build a solid foundation of coordination.

Cable reverse flyes Dumbbell lateral raise Dumbbell shoulder press Games 2 gains Games to gains James grage Kerby fortner Shoulder workout Single arm cable lateral raise Upright row

The Truth About Cancer Featuring: Cancer Survivor Story - Karla O. at The Truth About Cancer LIVE - Triple Positive Breast Cancer

This is the incredible cancer survivor story of Karla Olson, who was diagnosed with Triple Positive Breast Cancer. Karla Olson was a 45-year-old mother who discovered a lump in her breast. While her doctors told her it was nothing to be concerned about, a gut feeling told her otherwise. Click on the video below to hear Karla’s story of how she was able to heal her triple positive breast cancer, and why she’s so passionate about spreading the message that cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At last year’s The Truth About Cancer LIVE, our film team interviewed the experts who were presenting on-stage, as well as some of the people in attendance, including many brave cancer fighters and survivors. They all had incredible stories of healing to share.

Mushrooms for Cancer II

By: Sonora St Cyr

Healing with herbs is becoming more popular as an adjunct therapy, especially in cancer treatment. But what about healing with mushrooms? Herbs are considered plant material. Where do the fungi fit in? From a botanical standpoint, herbs are herbaceous plants. Leaves, roots, and flowers of herbs may be used in herbal medicine. The plant kingdom is comprised of plants. The fungi kingdom is comprised of mushrooms. Science is taking a closer look at the value of medicinal mushrooms in treating serious medical conditions including autoimmune disease, nerve disorders and cancer. This article uncovers some of the mystery surrounding mushrooms and takes a brief look at their use in natural medicine. There are many myths surrounding the Kingdom Fungi. You may be thinking, "Well, some mushrooms are poisonous." And yes, this is true. Some plants are also poisonous. Mushrooms get a bad reputation because often cases of mushroom poisoning attract a lot of attention. Most mushrooms are not poisonous. You may be thinking, "Will I see visions or hallucinate?" Many cultures around the world use hallucinogenic mushrooms for healing. But medicinal mushrooms are being researched in laboratories around the world and practicing physicians, cancer doctors, and alternative medicine practitioners are taking mushrooms seriously and prescribing them for serious medical conditions. Which mushrooms are medicinal? When searching for mushrooms for healing cancer, look first to the polypores, or shelf fungi. These mushrooms are the oldest from an evolutionary standpoint. Some mycologists (those who study fungi) believe that all mushrooms have evolved from polypores. Polypores are hard, not soft like gilled fungi. For any mushroom to be digestible it must first be cooked, heated, or tenderized. This is especially true in the case of polypore mushrooms. They must be heated first in order to be bio available. Historically polypore mushrooms have been heated and steeped in hot water, strained, and the resulting drink served as a mushroom tea. Historically, polypore mushrooms were quite valuable to native peoples all around the world. Some hard, shelf mushrooms were used as tinder or spunk to start fires and carried over long distances. These same species were also chopped up and steeped in water for tea. Shamans in cultures on every continent treated serious medical ailments with polypore mushrooms. Which mushrooms for cancer treatment are polypore mushrooms? The most famous and widely used polypore mushroom is the Reishi mushroom. It is used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine, by mainstream Japanese physicians, and throughout Korea, Vietnam and Eastern cultures. Also known as the Ling Chi, this medicinal mushroom is available in supplement form over the internet and directly from alternative medical practitioners. Another powerful medicinal polypore mushroom is Grifola frondosa, also known as Maitake. Maitake is a soft fleshed polypore with nutritional and medicinal value. It is attracting a lot of attention from pharmaceutical and neutraceutcal companies because initial studies show it is quite effective as an anti-tumor medicine, especially in cases of liver and breast cancer. Look for Maitake supplements that address the D-fraction and beta glucans. Maitake supplements are widely available over the internet and from natural pharmacies. After dispelling some of the myths around mushrooms and briefly exploring the history of mushrooms as medicine, it makes sense that the mysterious fungi hold healing power. Sonora St Cyr – Professional Healer and Herbalist My name is Sonora St Cyr and I’ve been a professional healer & herbalist for many years. In that time, I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge about using the power of Mother Nature to ease our bodies back into balance.

Police officers pick up bill for diners who didn’t want to sit near them

When a couple refused to sit next to a booth full of police officers at a restaurant, the cops counteracted with an act of kindness. It happened over the weekend at a eatery in Homestead, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. A group of officers from Homestead and a neighboring department were having dinner at Eat N' Park restaurant when a server tried to seat the couple right next to them. The couple wasn't having it. "The guy looks over at one of the police officers and was like, 'Nah I don't want to sit here.' So they got moved completely opposite, away from the police officers," restaurant server Jesse Meyers told CNN affiliate WTAE. [Video Below] "I looked over and said, 'It's okay sir. You won't have to worry about it, we won't hurt you," Homestead police Officer Chuck Thomas said. "He looked at me hard again and said he's not sitting here and walked away."

Bad45: Tacfit Bodyweight And Dumbell System 

The Ultimate Home And Travel Bodyweight/dumbbell Workout System To Optimize Hormones For Fat-burn, Muscle-growth, Energy Increase. Author - The World's Smartest Workout Coach Scott Sonnon, Tactical Fitness Advisor To Federal Law Enforcement!

A bright idea Then the officers, fully cognizant of the recent heightened tensions between police and the communities they serve, had an idea. They'd counteract this rude brush off with a random act of kindness. The officers paid the couple's $28.50 bill, and left this note on the receipt: "Sir, your check was paid for by the police officers you didn't want to sit next to. Thank you for your support." They even took care of the tip. "Essentially the whole goal of it was to let him know that we're not here to hurt you," Thomas said. "We're here for you. We work for the public. And we just want to better the relationship between the community and the police." As the officers left, one of them got a smile and quick thank you from one of the two people who had earlier rebuffed them.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries Featuring: The Power of God Is Present to Heal You

There’s good news: The power of God is present to heal you right now! Healing and deliverance belong to you. You don’t have to try to get healed and delivered, you only need to receive what Jesus has already provided. In this episode of Believer’s Voice of Victory, Kenneth Copeland teaches more about receiving all Jesus has provided.[Video Below] Get more out of this broadcast! Download the notes @ kcm.org/notes. Livestream more episodes for FREE @ kcm.org/watch. Subscribe to get a daily faith boost from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland delivered to your inbox @ http://bit.ly/2mmE5XW. ABOUT THE BELIEVER’S VOICE OF VICTORY TV BROADCAST: Believer’s Voice of Victory (BVOV) is a daily Christian TV broadcast produced by Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) that teaches Christians how to live a life of faith and victory using principles from the Bible. Learn more about KCM and how we can help you live an overcoming, victorious and successful life @ http://www.kcm.org/about-us.

Don't Hesitate

Kenneth Copeland

He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

James 1:6-8

What happens when you hesitate to do something God has told you to do? Your adversary takes the first step. The devil gets the jump on you.

If you want to live by faith, hesitation is one of the most hazardous habits you could ever have. It comes from being indecisive. The Bible says a man like that is “unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides” (The Amplified Bible).

If you are double-minded, the decisions you make are split. You try to live by faith and protect your fear at the same time. You make faith statements like “I believe God is going to heal me.” Then your fear whispers, “But I wouldn’t want to say I’m well just yet.” You’re so busy going back and forth between faith and fear, you can’t make any progress at all.

Kick the habit of hesitation today. Make a solid decision to trust in and act on the Word of God. Settle it forever. Resolve never to entertain doubts again. When doubt comes to your mind, cast it out quickly.

When God speaks, don’t waste a moment. Step right out in faith. That way, you can always keep the devil a step behind you!

Scripture Reading:

James 1:1-8

© 1991 Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc. aka: Kenneth Copeland Publications    All rights reserved.

ShopNHL Presents: NHL Update Featuring-Super Slow Mo: Best of the Conference Finals on US Sports Net

The excitement of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs is intensifying and you can get a look at all the best plays from Week 6 with #SlowMoMonday! You'll see extraordinary goals from Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, along with colossal hits from T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson, all in super slow motion! [Video Below]

Presented on US Sports Net By ShopNHL!

Get your Washington Capitals Eastern Conference Champs Gear at Shop.NHL.com

NHL 125th Anniversary Replica Stanley Cup

How to Play Hockey Module 2: Defensive Zone Tactics

by Nathan Leslie

About this Course

Module 2: Defensive Zone.This module starts with defensive zone fundamentals.  We explore the zone without the puck, and then with puck possession.  The breakout section is quite extensive, and gets a lot of traffic.  Defensive zone tactics can have subtle variations at higher levels but all systems have common principles.  We’ll stick to the key concepts, but explore them in detail in some of the videos.  This is the module most members spend the most time studying, and revisiting often.  We encourage you to take your time here.

Defensive Pressure
The other team is so good, so how can we stop them from scoring? This module addresses key principles of defensive zone coverage that can be used on novice teams, and NHL teams alike. Not much changes as the level gets higher, the allowable margin of error just shrinks to zero. When you are done here you'll have a more complete understanding of team goals in your own zone.

Defensive Coverage
Understanding these concepts gives us a better idea of how to dictate the play while on defense. Our body position, stick placement, speed and angle of pursuit all affect the offensive players decision making.
BreakoutsWe finally got the puck, now how do we get out of our zone? In this module we look at the key principles of getting out of your zone together, which always varies depending on the pressure you are getting from the opposing team. There are a few universally accepted breakouts that have withstood the test of time. We think teaching those concepts is a great place to start in this course.

Complete Course GoalsThe goal of this course is to create a progression in learning from A to Z, from Module 1 to 5, but feel free to pick and choose the modules you need the most. Learning the international language of hockey is paramount in expanding your overall game understanding. If you do skip ahead, and hear terms in later modules that you do not understand, we recommend starting back at Module 1 and working your way through the entire set of modules.  We built the curriculum step by step, teaching first the terminology, then explore every zone of the ice, from defensive, to neutral, and on to offensive zone without, then with the puck.  Our final module teaches powerplay and penalty killing systems.  Get started now!

Nathan LeslieDirector of Leslie Global Sports

Become a Hockey Expert Now.

• Do you want to master the tactics of hockey?
• Do you wish you understood the game better?
• Are you tired of endless Youtube & Google searches for hockey tactics?
• Stop!  

My 10 years of professional hockey and 10 years as a hockey development expert and coaching mentor to hundreds of coaches and thousands of players are jam packed into this member site so that you can stop your endless searching.  I have a Masters Degree in Education and have been a teacher.  I believe every hockey coach is a teacher first.  As a professional player in the Swiss A League and other European leagues I really needed to understand the game from the inside out to stay competitive.  Now I have the chance to share it all with you in this course.  
More on Nate: 
Nate has a Masters Degree of International Education from Madrid, Spain, speaks German, Swiss German, & French, and played 7 years of professional hockey in Europe. Nate is the owner of Leslie Global Sports and the Director of the West Coast Hockey Prep Camp and recently returned from filming a hockey documentary in Mongolia. Leslie Global Sports & LGS America run hockey camps, skill development, and coaching mentorship programs in Vancouver, Port Alberni, Surrey, Port Coquitlam, Whistler, Squamish, Victoria, The Richmond Olympic Oval, Baltimore, New York City, Queens, Washington DC, Queenstown, New Zealand, Budapest, Hungary & Mongolia. In Vancouver, Nate instructs hockey academies at Earl Marriott, Semiahmoo, Britannia, & Sentinel Secondary Schools.  

The NBAStore Presents: NBA Update Featuring: LeBron James' Top Plays From His Two Game 7s: 2018 Postseason and My Failure as a Coach on US Sports Net!

In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Indiana Pacers LeBron James dropped 45 points grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 7 assists. [Video Below] In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals LeBron James recorded 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists against the Boston Celtics.

Presented On US Sports Net by NBAStore!

Cleveland Cavaliers 2018 Eastern Conference Champs Gear

My Failure as a Coach

• By Tom Kelsey
 

---

Have you ever had one of the moments where you witness the actions of a coach, and you say to yourself, “I will never do that!”?

That was me.

I coached with Mark Gottfried (former head coach Murray State, Alabama, and North Carolina State), and would to refer to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as the “greatest show on earth.” I couldn’t agree more.

One of my most vivid up-close moments came while watching this “greatest show on earth” up close. But unfortunately, it did not.

I had not yet started my coaching career. I knew I wanted to be around the game. Knew I loved the game and wanted to make an impact on young men. What should have been a defining moment in how I would approach my job and the players I worked each day, but it did not.

I knew I wanted to be different as a coach. One the day of this event I knew if I coached I would be a better example. Better at encouraging. Better in the heat of the moment of not losing my cool. Better at seeing the big picture. Better at not letting losing a game affect me.

Why could I not apply what I saw and what I knew to make me a better coach? It was a lack of focus.

In the coaching profession, we can lose focus because of a variety of things. Our ambition, our desire to succeed, our desire to well thought of by others.

Hopefully, my faults can help another coach from making the same mistake. Once we lose focus, our flaws become even more exposed. That is what happened with me.

I failed to do the one thing I promised myself I would not do.

I failed at loving my players unconditionally.

What is unconditional love? To love unconditionally is not to put conditions on the relationship.

I saw up close on college basketball’s biggest stages what I didn’t want to be like but still fell into the trap.

Before I was able to coach at Murray State, The University of Alabama, and LSU and be a part of the “greatest show on earth” I would get in my car to watch the games. If an NCAA tournament was within driving distance, I was going to be there.

I was just out of college and had not started my coaching career when I took off to watch the tournament. The tournament is set up is there are two games in the afternoon and two games in the evening. What a way to spend the day! For a basketball fan or coach, this is like the perfect day.

Each day and each game has many storylines. Of all the great games and players I have seen one moment stands out above all the rest. It was during the evening session and game featured one highly ranked team against a lower seeded team. The lower seed kept the game, entertaining by staying close. Late in the game they took the lead. It looked like they may pull the upset.

As the clock wound down, it felt like the favored team would win. The star player from the higher seeded team and future first-round draft got the ball in fantastic position near the basket. His team down by one point.

No one could guard him or match up with him. As he took the shot, it looked like it was going to go straight through the net. It just missed by bouncing off the rim and falling off to the side.

The buzzer sound and the game was over. A big upset.  Everyone’s attention was on the winning team and their celebration.

For some reason, I kept my eyes on the star player. He was bending over right there in the middle of the floor.  When you realize your season is over it hurts. When you realize your career is over it hurts more. To miss the shot that ended your career has to be unimaginable.

He knew his college career was over.

He would never wear those colors or uniform again. He was out there on the floor all alone. With his head in his jersey, you could almost feel his pain.

I was intently watching his coach walk across the floor. I wanted to see how he would react. The coach looked back and saw his player; he glanced at him and with a look showing no sympathy kept walking.

I still can see that look.

I understand how upset the coach was to lose the game. His team should have won easily.

They say a picture paints a thousand of words. The image portrayed a thousand words,  Both from the perspective of the player and the coach.

In those few seconds, you could tell a story. The coaches look said so much. It was part disgust, part indifference to the kid, part shock at the loss. For the player, he could have been injured on the last play he could have been trying to get sympathy, or he could have been embarrassed his team lost to an inferior team. A lot happened in those few seconds. A lot happened in one image.

Life is like the game. A lot can happen in a few seconds. My wife will tell you the true colors will come out in situations like the one I just described. As a coach, if I was in the same position I am not sure how I would have reacted. It may be easy to say you would have come over and hugged the player. I watch a lot of coaches and cringe when I hear what they say to kids or how they react.

The losing coach would now have to face the media, then the alumni. No one was going to be happy about the outcome. The coach is the one getting the blame in losses like this. Coaches understand what comes with the job description.

I understand the emotions from both the player and the coach. Most likely the relationship had been through a lot of highs and lows.  The coache=player relationship was had been going on for at least five years and maybe longer.

The recruiting process started long ago while the young man was in high school. The player was an incredible player and had an outstanding career.

Now, in an instant, it is over.

Unfortunately, the coach might be like a lot of us in how he reacted in that one moment. Maybe we treat our players the same way. You do well for us, and we will like you. You don’t deliver, and we will be disappointed.

The impression continues to stay with me. I see the young man and bending over on the court.

Maybe he never knew his coach left him out there on the floor. To him, since his head was down he may have never known his coach looked directly at him saw the emotional pain and walked away.

Maybe it wasn’t a big deal to him, but to most unconditional love is a big deal. At that moment the player-coach relationship came down to the missed shot and the lost game.

It was “what can you do for me?” Not trying to place blame on the coach, but it was a sad picture. It showed the relationship based on conditions.

How can you change? Here are three steps.

1. Show it those who are closest to you and know you best.

My children need to know  I will love them no matter what, not just because they clean their room, not because they make good grades, and not because they do their jobs on time. They have to know deep down I will love them no matter what they do. They will mess up, and we will have our struggles. They know whatever happens, even if I am mad or my wife is upset at their actions, we still love them.

2. Show it to your team and how you coach

My players need to understand  I love them and want them all to do well. They need to know there will be rules, but if they mess up, I will still love them. I do not love them more for winning than losing. I do not love them more for having a good practice than having a bad practice. There is not more love if they make the winning shot or miss the last second shot.

3. Stop attaching conditions in your relationships

There are no strings attached in unconditional love. The love is pure. When you begin to accept people for who they are and not what they can do for you, it makes your relationships stronger.

If you have unconditional love and begin to have patience with others, you will see your stress decrease dramatically. We only add to the problems in our own life by having high expectations of others. Then not accepting them if they don’t meet those high expectations.

After practice, this coach pointed at one of my players and said, ”I could never coach that young man.” I knew what he meant.

He didn’t need to say more.

The young man may have been a little rough around the edges. May have had a disposition that could turn others off. Looked like he had bad attitude. He thought of himself first before the team.

All those assumptions were probably correct.

Just a few years earlier I would have “never wanted to coach that young man” myself. Yes, he may not have been the most coachable at times.

But here is what I knew. I knew the young man's heart. I knew what he had been through in his life because I got to know his story.

Sure, in the past I knew the stories of most of my players but didn’t dig any further than that.

This young man changed how I coached. Why it took almost 25 years into my career, I don’t know.

As I heard the comment, “I could never coach that young man” I thought to myself, I have no choice. If I don’t coach him who will?

I was motivated to start accepting kids for who they were and not what I wanted them to be. So somehow a young man I would have kicked off the team the first week of practice in most situations we made it four years together.

Of all the positive things that have happened in my career, this one was maybe the one that made me the proudest. I have a photo of the two of us after his graduation. No doubt it is one of my favorite photos.

I have found nothing is as freeing for young athletes than being accepted they way they are. Our job as coaches is to meet them where they are and not where we think they should be. As difficult it may be as a coach treating them with unconditional love will make a tremendous impact on those you coach.

I think of the image I saw before I started coaching and why did it take so long to sink in.

That is the coach I no longer want to be.

I think about the players who will disappoint us in the future and how we can love them anyway.

That is the coach I hope to be.

I think of the coaches who can see past the imperfections and look at the bigger picture and the impact they have on their players.

That is the coach I want to be.