In this clinic talk segment, Lew Caralla delivers 11 ideas focused on how a coach can network, lead, and positively impact players and others through this incredible platform we have as coaches. While this episode is short, its messages paint a picture of what an elite coach must do to excel in this profession.
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“It’s not in our job description as a coach to give up on kids.”
– Lew Caralla
Lew Caralla is a 17-year veteran of strength and conditioning at the college level. He has been the head strength and conditioning coach at five FBS programs – North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Buffalo, Georgia Tech, and now Charlotte. Coach Caralla was recognized as Football Scoop’s 2018 Strength Coach of the Year while at Buffalo.
Coach Caralla’s résumé also includes stints as an assistant at Virginia, South Florida, Mississippi State, and Michigan.
In this episode, a segment from the 3rd Annual Lauren’s First and Goal Clinic, Lew Caralla paints a picture of the 10% Coach.
Follow Lew Caralla on Twitter @LewisCaralla.
“If you want to be remembered one day, invest in who [players] are and not just what they can do.”
– Lew Caralla
Show Notes:
>Coaching Experience Provides the Platform
>The Message
>Absent During the Struggle
>Intelligence Creates Followers
>The Coaching Ego
>You Are Not Allowed to Give Up
>I Didn’t Know How Close I Was
>Coached By You
>Your Platform
>Be an Example Through Your Journey
>The Secret
Watch Lew Caralla’s Entire Presentation:
Additional Lew Caralla Episode:
Creative Coaching in Strength and Conditioning
Lew Caralla Presentation Transcript:
Coaching Experience Provides the Platform
Well, thanks so much for having me. This is great. I think it’s for a great purpose and very excited. So I’ll start out by saying that I’ve coached in a bunch of places, and I say that because I think it’s important who you know is talking and where they’ve been. I’ve been an intern, a GA, an assistant. I’ve had five head strength jobs. But I say that to say this, none of that means anything.
If I can’t walk into a room at the next job and be there for those kids, they’re not going to care what I say. They’re not going to care what I do. They’re not going to care what awards I’ve won. It doesn’t matter. Anything that you’ve done in your past, all it is is a little bit of a platform at first. And then, it’s all about those kids or coaches. So yes, I’ve been a lot of places. Yes, I’ve been very thankful to be where I’ve been. But at the end of the day, it’s about the kids. And I think that’s where coaches sometimes get lost. And that’s what I’m excited to talk about.
The Messages
The messages. This isn’t for everyone. I’m just saying this is what I do. I just feel like at the end of every day, at the end of every lift, at the end of every run, if I’m going to have these kids in my program, I’m going to give them my heart. I’m going to teach them what I know. I’m going to give them real examples of life that I didn’t get my way, or I didn’t handle a situation the right way. I had regrets about certain things, or I thought the wrong way about being a player. And if I don’t share that stuff with the guys, I really feel like it’s a waste of my platform.
So every day after every lift, I give them message of the day. And they can roll their eyes at times, or they might not hear it some days. But I think the one message you’re trying to give a day is the kid that needs it the most out of your 120 you’re talking to. It might not hit every kid every day, but one of them might change a kid’s life. And these kids have always reached back out.
Absent During the Struggle
I’ve been burned many times in my career by people. I don’t trust a lot of people because of that. It’s very sad, honestly, how bad people are to people. But it gives me fire. It makes me who I am. It makes me thrilled to make a difference in people’s lives and be even more positive to people and help more people.
So I just think you should never forget the people who ignored you when you needed them the most. I think it’s easy to tell who’s real in your life and who’s just there when you’re doing well. So if you’re going to call me when I get a big job, but you never picked up the phone when I needed you the most, I’m not picking up your call either.
Intelligence Creates Followers
Intelligence creates followers. I think this is huge for teaching the players. You run a 4.4 40? Great, man. You got a ton of talent we can use. But if your football IQ is equivalent to a five-flat, what are we doing? It’s a waste. But I do think from the coaching side, remember, a confused player is always going to be a slow player no matter how fast they are. So they got to understand the playbook.
One year I hated math, but the next year, I loved math because the teacher made the difference. The subject did not change, but the teacher helped me tremendously actually start loving math, and it made sense, and I understood it, and I got a good grade compared to the last year where I almost failed. It’s the same thing with your playbook. Is it so confusing for the guys where they don’t know what they’re doing? And they’re really talented. But because of our egos, we try to make this thing like rocket science to run a zone read or RPO or whatever it is. But these kids, all they got to know is that they have a coach that believes in them and the plays are easy to remember.
If you have that and talent, well, those kids are going to look very fast all of a sudden. But if not, you’re asking for disaster.
The Coaching Ego
The coach and ego. Do you scream, or do you explain? Do you embarrass people, or do you empower people? How about do you instill fear, or do you instill confidence? Do you degrade kids, or do you encourage them? I think when you put pressure on your players because your job is on the line, that’s your ego, and that’s where you lose them.
And I think coaches get, once they go too far, they don’t realize they can’t come back and collect all that trust again. It’s not going to work. So I feel like if you’re a real leader, you are going to explain, you are going to empower, instill confidence, encourage, and you’re not going to put pressure on the players. Put pressure on yourself. Do a good job and be there for those kids and do it from the start. Not when just, oh, the eyes are on you and your job is on the line all of a sudden.
You Are Not Allowed to Give Up
These are my mentors. That’s my high school coach, that’s my little league coach, that’s my college coach. And I came up with this idea that it’s not in our job description as a coach to give up on kids. You can’t give up on kids. As a coach, yeah, okay, you’re responsible for this, this, and this. Well, you’re also responsible for never giving up on a kid.
And what do I mean? Kid can’t get right. Kid’s not hearing you, not listening. Kid’s late. Kid misses. Kid’s disrespectful. Something’s going on in that kid’s life that’s bigger than just being disrespectful. He’s not just like that for no reason. Talk to him, sit him down, help the kid, encourage him. And if you can’t get through to him, find a different person in the building with a different background than you because I’m sure there is one. And have him try or have her try. Just don’t give up. And if the kid makes his own bed, that’s one thing. You can’t control that. You tried everything, did everything you could, and you never, ever gave up.
And you can live with that.
I Didn’t Know How Close I Was
I didn’t know how close I was. Picture says it all, right? There’s so many people that don’t realize this, though. And our job is to make them see that top guy’s perspective. He’s not even closer, but he believes he’s going to get it. And that’s the point.
Our job is to create belief. Our job is to spread confidence. It’s not to take kids down. It’s not to make them less motivated. That kid that turned around in the bottom, how many have you seen in your career? I don’t know. I know I’ve seen a bunch, but I’ve always tried to help him. And like I said, don’t give up.
Coached By You
I think as coaches, we all got to ask ourselves, what does it feel like to be coached by us? What’s it feel like to be coached by me? If I’m not understanding, if I’m not fair, if I’m not positive, who would you want your son to be coached by? Who would you want your daughter to be coached by?
If you don’t like those answers that you’re given, you got to change. And it’s time to make a move on moving towards that direction that you would want to see your kid coached by. Because if you’re not that, I just don’t know what we’re doing. And that’s something I try to be every day.
Your Platform
Look, I have a platform. I’m the head strength coach. I get these kids every day. I got the keys to their hearts and souls, and I can do whatever I want with it. And I hope we’re trying to make a difference and not just make them better players, but better people, too.
And I think it has to be the goal. I don’t care what level you’re at. I don’t care if it’s high school, Division 1, NFL, whatever. If you’re not trying to develop the person before the player, the person is never going to remember you. And if you want to be remembered one day, well, invest in who they are and not just what they can do.
Be an Example Through Your Journey
Just be an example through your journey. A lot of you go through a lot, but if you don’t use that stuff, what good is it? I’ve moved ten times. I’ve been fired three times. I was the Football Scoop Strength Coach of the Year one year.
Look, if you love what you do, it doesn’t matter how many people try to take what you have. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been kicked to the curb. You’re going to keep going, and you’re going to find a way because in my opinion, hard work pays off, but no one tells you when. And the when is the most dangerous word in that sentence because a lot of people can’t wait for the when. They get so frustrated. They turn around on that diamond picture when they were so close. No one is going to tell you when it’s going to pay off. But in the opposite way, the one thing that’s guaranteed is if you don’t work hard, it’s never going to pay off.
The Secret
And I’ll leave you with this. The secret to having it all is knowing that you already do. Don’t wait to lose something before you start appreciating it. Stop complaining about things that if you lost it, you’d be miserable. Sure, work gets stressful. I understand. My family has been through hell. My kids have lived in multiple states, and they’re so young. I rip them out of their environment all the time because I’m chasing this passion of mine that they’ve been following me on. But I’m not going to sit here and complain about it because I love what I do.
You need to appreciate your family. I think you need to appreciate your health. I think you need to appreciate your teammates. Appreciate today because one day you’re going to realize all those little things were the big things in your life. And I see you guys overlook that all the time, which is why I’m so passionate about it. And I can easily do it, too. That’s why this talk exists. I just want to create perspective for people that have a position of power that can help kids.
