This is a quick reminder to coaches everywhere: Coaches!!! Sometimes it’s easy to get caught in “coach mode.” I mean, let’s face it, you come into the gym everyday with a set plan on drills, activities, and games for your athletes to do, in addition to figuring out which athlete needs to accomplish what and who needs to drill what. You come in knowing you’ve got to get stuff done to ensure the success of your athletes. The stress of needing to get things done is enough, but throw on the typical repetitive coach phrases such as “point your toes,” “tuck tighter,” “flip harder,” and an endless amount of others, and it can become more difficult to keep your head on straight. But REMEMBER!!: It is okay to relax and have fun with your athletes! Switch it up a bit every once and a while and come into the gym without a plan and see what happens! Sometimes allowing for a little on the spot creativity actually works better and gets more results than having a clear cut plan every practice. Just have FUN and be SILLY with your athletes! You can learn a lot from them too.