For coaches
How Coach Isaac handles excuses and trash talk with his own players, and pages you can hand out to your team.
The excuses, and what a coach says back
These are the most common excuses Coach Isaac hears from the girls on his team, and his answers. Almost every time, his answer gets the player to at least try first. And usually, she makes it.
He always wants to hear what a player is feeling, but that doesn't mean he has to accept the excuse. If he lets the excuse win, she'll use one every time something gets hard. The full list of ten is in chapter 11 of From Gazelle to Lioness.
Two more things from his practices
Trash talk
The first thing he teaches every player, boys and girls, is not to give in to trash talk. Ignore it, or laugh at yourself. His answer is "Fair enough." The other side gets confused and doesn't know where to go from there.
Say it so it sticks
Rhymes stick. When he wants practice a little quieter, he says "less chatter, more ladder" or "less yapping, more lapping." His players get it and remember it, and the first time it sounds a little funny too.
Hand this out
A guide for your team parents
She's Not Lazy. She's Stuck. Send the link to your parents' group. At the bottom there's a one-page printable for the athlete.
Open the guideThree questions, thirty minutes
A one-page printable for every player on the roster. Print it and hand it out after practice.
Open the pageThe free Mini Journal
A seven-page journal for the athlete, written by Coach Isaac. One page a day, five minutes a day, in the week between one game and the next. Share the sign-up link with your parents' group, and every player can download it.
Get the linkA gift for the whole team
The Mindset & Goals Journals and Game Day Pages are licensed for one team, so you can print a copy for every player.
See the shopCoaches, get on the list
Short emails from Coach Isaac, and the free Mini Journal for your players, in Letter and A4.