Hold the Fork the Right Way!

While eating dinner, my 3 yr-old decided to try and hold her fork like an adult, so she asked me if I would help her.  I showed her a few times and tried to help put it correctly in her hand a couple of times.  However, she didn’t want to do it the way I showed her, so she said “Daddy, I’m going to do it my way”.  She did it her way a couple of times and got super-frustrated simply because she wasn’t holding the fork the way she was coached to.

Such is the way with a lot of players.  So many time athletes show up at practice/games and ask their coach how to “hold the fork the right way”.  Coach’s get giddy with excitement when players ask for help, but excitement quickly turns to frustration when the player decides to do it their own way.  For whatever reason, most players think they know more than their coach and so they constantly hold the fork the wrong way.  The result of this, players never get fed enough soon enough because coach’s are always having to wait on their players to “eat” what we have already given them.  This leads to frustration for both the coach and player and essentially hurts the entire team.

This attitude is a direct result of the pride in our nature.  Too many players think they know everything, and if not everything, then more than those in authority over them.  It’s easy to feel that way if you are the best player on your team, or have been to a lot of camps and clinics, or just happen to be good friends with a professional.  BUT, it’s never true.  Players never know it all and must always be in a constant state of learning.  Even the best athletes in every professional sport understand this concept and they will routinely contact the best coaches for help in their game.  In order to become the best, players must first realize that 1) they are not perfect, 2) that they need wisdom (James 1:5) , and finally 3) humble themselves (1 Peter 5:5).

Once my daughter realized that she couldn’t hold the fork the right way, she came back to me with humility and asked for help again.  This time, she listened to what I said and was able to hold the fork the proper way.  This led to great excitement as she was able to eat the rest of her dinner like a big kid and was able to get fed more food.  The same is true for athletes.  Once they admit that they don’t know everything, humble themselves, and submit to the coach’s authority then they are able to “hold the fork the right way”.  Once they start to “hold the fork the right way” they will be able to be fed more basketball food.  And just like life, the more they eat, the more they grow.  This is the desire of all of the best athletes – to grow and get better in their game.

Hold the Fork the Right Way!! 

Coach CJ

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