Since I have been back home in Woodstock, Georgia I have had a couple opportunities to coach kids. I help out time to time at the gymnastics gym I basically grew up in, World Of Gymnastics, and I also coach the Youth Athlete Strength & Conditioning program at the gym I train at, CrossFit 140. I've worked with kids as young as five and old as 15 involved in the sports of gymnastics, soccer, swimming, basketball, baseball, and football. I have learned a lot from the kids I've coached so I figured I would write a blog about it!
Kids Believe In Themselves
One thing I admire about the kids I coach is that they believe they are going to make it. They have dreams of playing in NCAA sports, playing professionally in the MLB or NFL, or even being an Olympic Gold Medalist. Their dreams are BIG and as far as they are concerned, they are going to make it. If you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up and they say a professional athlete, a lot of adults will smile at their response but in the back of their mind they will be thinking "Yea right, kid, good luck with that. Your chances of making it are one in a million." But really, the kids have it right. Their mentality is one that we should all have. Why do something if you don't believe you are going to make it and achieve your goals and dreams? As adults, we let the doubts and fears developed from past experiences or worldly distractions attack our dreams and beat us down. Some would say that the kids' belief in themselves is called being naive, but I believe it is a pure quality that a lot of us have drifted away from. Maybe if we all believed in ourselves as much as the kids believe in themselves, we'd be that much more successful in our endeavors.
Positive Energy Is Contagious
EVERY time I coach, I leave the gym feeling more energized than I did before I coached. You would think that working with kids would be incredibly exhausting and draining, but its the exact opposite for me. Being around the kids is refreshing. They have FUN and no matter how hard their workouts are, they still manage to smile and laugh by the end. Their energy is contagious.
Research has shown that the average times a woman smiles during the day is 64. The average times a man smiles during the day is 8. The average number of times children smile and laugh is 300-500 times a day!! This explains a lot. When you smile, the muscles used to smile release endorphins that make you feel good and boost your mood. No wonder being around these kids' smiles and laughter boosts my mood and energizes me! Again, as research has shown, this is another thing that we as adults have drifted away from.. smiling and laughing. Maybe if we just smiled and laughed more we would have more energy!
Another lesson I have been reminded of by the kids is about trust and faith. The kids trust me as a coach and they don't question why we do certain exercises nor do they analyze it. They just do it. They trust that I am doing whats best for them and that I'm going to help them become better athletes.They don't complain about tough workouts or make excuses, rather they push through and endure because they trust it will help in the bigger picture. Also, the kids obey me. They don't think twice about it, they will just do it. Just as the children have trust and faith in me as a coach, we are suppose to have the same kind of trust and faith in God and not question why He is doing something in our lives or why He has us in a certain situation. We are suppose to obey Him. When we are going through trials and tough times, we are suppose to endure and have faith that God has it all under control. This is talked about several times through out the Bible and the kids have been a great reminder of such trust and faith.
I love how humble kids are by nature. Whenever I introduce a new exercise to the kids, they are anxious to try it. In fact, they get very excited when we do something new. They don't have any fear of failure nor do they have any pride that stops them from possibly embarrassing themselves. Pride is definitely something that gets in the way of us adults when it comes to trying something new. Also, kids are very teachable. They are like sponges and absorb everything I teach them. If they are doing an exercise with improper form, I correct them and 9 times out of 10 they are able to make the correction. This makes my job a lot of fun! These characteristics of humility and the ability to be teachable are two characteristics that we as adults need to be reminded of. Actually, God even tells us that we need to have these characteristics like the children do in Matthew 18:3-4.. "And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. " Children are more likely to be destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness therefore allowing them to be humble and teachable. Again, another lesson to be gained from the kids. Maybe if we didn't let pride get in the way and humbled ourselves to that of a child we would be able to do things beyond our on imagination.
All in all, I have learned so much from coaching kids and I love what I do. They teach me just as much as I teach them. I hope to give back to this next generation of athletes and pour as much knowledge, wisdom, and positivity into these kids that was poured into me by so many great coaches and mentors. Now my biggest challenge is figuring out which direction I want to go in from my many sporting experiences and how to make a career out of it... if anybody has any suggestions or opportunities I am open to hearing them!
titsay
gracieabrams
kianamaiart
snowghoul
pixelskylines