“
Before my visits, I decided to request a personality test from each player to see what type of person I would be working with on and off the court. I dove into the idea of understanding /analyzing players’ personalities along with their athleticism to see how groups would react to each other.
was always there and we felt our daughter was in good hands.
When the time came to go to high school,
we had some difficulties in the choice of school. The principal guided us in getting her transferred to the desired school through or- chestra, knowing our music background from that visit 12 years ago. Instead of him becoming a principal for couple of years, he became a lifelong teacher and friend to our family. I remembered how I felt when he helped my daughter. I decided to apply the same principle to my coaching style to become a lifelong friend, teacher and coach to my players. In 2013, as soon as I had my team assign- ment, I reached out to each family before Thanksgiving and started meeting with each of my players’ families, including their pets. I went to their homes to understand their lifestyles, their family relationships in their own home environments, and observed the sibling and parent interactions.
My goal was to get to know them as much as possible in their homes. When they preferred not to meet at their homes, we got a cup of coffee at a nearby location, still requesting all family members to be there. Before my visits, I decided to request a per- sonality test from each player to see what type of person I would be working with on and off the court. I dove into the idea of understand- ing/analyzing players’ personalities along with their athleticism to see how groups would react to each other. In our family meetings, we discussed what type of personality the player had and what type of personalities were in the team to understand how to reach and utilize their best abilities through the way they saw the world. Some players were very outgoing, some very organized, others were talkative or shy. Some managed the drills with minimal instructions while some required detailed instruction to perform drills. When we were in tournaments, the team
policy was that all team members must stay together until the last match. Per their per- sonalities, some players required “me time” to regroup their thoughts. I gave them that time, which resulted in better performance in games. This approach gave me great tools to build good relationships between parents, players and coaching staff. Parents knew I cared about their daughters both physically and mentally, so when they had some concerns or worries, we always had very smooth dialogues and conversations. Players felt closer to the coaching staff know-
”
ing we genuinely cared. I had one issue, which was a misunderstanding, but other than that my teams had zero drama or playing-time issues. Both parents and I were always on the same page knowing what I expected from them and their daughters. I made them feel comfortable reaching me anytime because I went the extra mile to get to know them and their families. That extra mile might just be the solution to playing time complaints and concerns.
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