Chris Mance II - Mental Skills Coach

I would argue that coachability is the #1 lesson a young athlete must learn before they get to high school. Coachability is the ability to listen, learn, and execute coaching suggestions. Furthermore, to teach a young athlete coachability three things are required:

1. Consistent mentoring from a great coach. (Please read:  Great Coaches Go Beyond Teaching Only Technique
2. Parents who believe in long term gains instead of focusing on winning with shortcuts (Please read: How Parents Accidently Teach Their Children to Have a Shortcut Mindset).
3. Parents who teach what coachability is and reinforce it by modeling those behaviors. (Please read: Your Parenting Superpowers are Stronger Than You Realize)

Explaining Coachability

Sometimes, it’s difficult to explain coachability to a young athlete. I suggest using examples instead of just defining it. One of the best examples of coachability exemplified in an athlete comes from Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs. Jordan Burroughs is arguably the most coachable elite athlete in the world. On his blog he writes about why coachability is so important to his success:

One of the most underrated attributes of an athlete is coachability; an intangible quality of character that requires focus, diligence and humility. This means having a certain level of approachability, that is both welcoming and responsive to instruction from others with your best interest in mind. These components can not be accurately measured, and so they are often overlooked. But I believe they’re the ultimate determining factor in the development and success of a wrestler. Always remember that humility comes before honor. There are very few wrestling rooms that I walk into in this country where I am not the most accomplished guy on the mat. So it would be hard to believe that of my two personal coaches, one is a former NCAA Division II wrestler (Manning), and the other was never an NCAA champion (Snyder).

How could I trust these guys to lead me to be the best wrestler in the world? The answer is that I humble myself. It’s not always the credentials of your coaches or training partners that help to get you to the top. Let that sink in for a minute. I’ve allowed myself to take guidance from both teammates and coaches in the name of pursuing greatness. The best athletes in the world listen more than they talk, constantly looking for ways to improve on their craft, and show respect to those who are in charge of getting them to the top.