06. I had you all figured out

I’ve been guilty of getting attached to the athlete I expected someone to become.

I could see the potential. I had a goal. I had a pretty convincing picture of how the season was going to unfold. The version of the athlete in my head was very easy to coach.

The actual athlete, inconveniently, was a person.

It’s easy to get so invested in that picture that I start explaining away anything that doesn’t fit. I want to catch myself doing that and listen to what the athlete is actually showing and telling me.

Before I decide what anything means, I want to ask: “Am I coaching the athletes in front of me—or the athletes I expected them to become?”