January/February 2019 - 20

A COACH'S
INFLUENCE
Taking advantage of undistracted
time with student-athletes
By Mike Walker, contributing writer
Coaching in the 21st century has its challenges. On an
almost daily basis, articles are published about a coach
who is worn out by the pressure of winning or beaten up
by complaints about playing time. Despite the pressures
that assail coaches, these leaders must keep this in the
forefront of their minds: In today's society, they're the
most influential person in the lives of young athletes.
This is largely due to the fact that coaches are the last
people who get to interact with teenagers uninterrupted
by technology.
Technology is a major part of children's lives, and that's
not going to change. It makes parenting a challenge, and
teachers are forced to use technology in the classroom.
Even pastors are preaching to congregations while
distracted by smartphones and tablets. Coaches are
among the only humans left who get teenagers each day
for two hours of technology-free interaction. As such,
this presents coaches with an unbelievable opportunity to
capture the hearts and minds of their players in a way that
no other adult can.
I see this firsthand. Like most high school coaches,
I conduct our practices after school and insist that the
athletes leave their phones, laptops and tablets in their
gym bags or locker room.
I'm not so different from my athletes. I have an iPhone,
iPad, Apple watch and MacBook. I'm a bona fide geek
when it comes to things that blink and hold a charge. As
a young person, I had plenty of people speaking into my
life. The son of a Baptist pastor, I grew up in a loving,
two-parent home, attended a private school, and was part
of a youth group where a pastor tried to teach me how to
live. However, it was my basketball coach who changed
my life.
My college coach reached beyond my limited attention
20 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
span to teach me about the benefits of exhibiting humility,
discipline, commitment, hard work and character. This
man realized the power of influence that he possessed and
used it to impact dozens of young men over 15 years. Not
surprisingly, many of the young men that played under
his influence serve today as high school coaches, athletic
directors, heads of school and in various other high-level
leadership capacities.
As an athletic director, this part of my past drives
me to help coaches understand what's possible through
sports. Coaches have what kids want: playing time.
Coaches have a unique position that even parents,
teachers and youth workers would strive to have:
The undivided attention of young people, devoid of
technology's powerful grip.
All coaches have the responsibility to help their
athletes work hard, learn the game and develop team
skills that can help teams succeed and athletes achieve
their personal best. These same goals can be used to
inspire young people to understand that, at some point,
sports end. For most, the game ends after high school
graduation; for some special athletes, they may earn the
opportunity to play in college.
Of significance is that today's coach has the privilege of
helping young people develop skills that will last beyond
the scope of their careers. The game can give back if the
coach uses the opportunity to teach to both the short term
and the long term.
Hardly anyone would contest that young people today
are distracted. According to a 2017 CNN survey, almost
half of all children in the U.S. obtain their first cell phone
by age 12. These phones go everywhere with these kids
- except practices and games. Coaches should take
advantage of this time with their players, ensuring that
January/February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2019
