Why does a person who performed so well one day do so poorly on another? How can I find consistency?

If, as Zig Ziglar said, both bathing and motivation are recommended every day, how do I stoke my own fire?

Why does one person break down under pressure while another breaks through?

This blog attempts to put the wind at your back as you coach yourself and others to get from where you are to where you want to be. It will do this with short, inspirational articles and videos. It will also focus on how to coach the mental side of sports performance. The self-talk section is popular with athletes because it provides many specific examples of normal vs. elite thinking patterns. Ultimately, this is a leadership blog. The art of making others better is a never-ending pursuit and I appreciate your participation here.

In addition to participation as a coach or athlete in literally thousands of baseball and softball games, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to coach many athletes across many sports: football to figure skating, tennis to basketball and most in between. I have devoted my professional life to finding best coaching practices; there are clear patterns for success that you and I can imitate. I am grateful that so many teams have asked for my input, and thankfully, there is no doubt that I continue to improve as I learn from these experiences and great people.

Consultant for teams or Athletic Departments, including:

• Ole Miss
• Georgia Tech
• Louisiana Tech
• Blinn Junior College
• University of Central Florida
• New Mexico State University
• University of Texas - Arlington
• Baylor
• Dallas Baptist University
• Odessa College
• University of Central Arkansas
• San Jacinto Community College
• University of Arizona
• University of Houston
• McNeese State
• Texas Glory

Speaker for these and others:

• American Baseball Coaches Association
• Glazier Clinics and their Head Coach Academy
• National Fastpitch Coaches Association
• Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association
• Gulf Coast Softball Coaches Clinic

I am honored that enough people appreciate my work that I am able to work from home and spend a lot of time with my family. I have a beautiful wife and four spunky, wonderful children, but of course that was not always the case. I coached college baseball as a bachelor for thirteen years. I got to work under superb mentors at The University of Virginia, Brevard College, Presbyterian College, Emory University, and Cedar Valley College. While these teams generally did well, including some high GPAs and school-record-setting seasons in 1995, 1996, 2001, and 2005, I faced plenty of adversity along the way. Sport gives that to us all, doesn't it?

In 2006, I transitioned from full-time baseball coach to full-time mental skills coach. I had always been interested in the mental side of the game, and one of the luckiest breaks in my career was that I landed a job in Brevard, NC, where Harvey Dorfman lived. He spent many hours both with the teams I coached and with me, personally. Despite the fact that I often did not need to call him because I new what he would say, each in-person visit led to multiple new insights. He was the master of drawing the "a-ha" moment out of people.

Today, my family lives in The Colony, TX. Nicole and I are busy parents: Christopher is 13, Ariel and Carissa are 6, and Gregory is 4 (going on 8). The children are my pride and joy, but we find time for our hobbies, too. I enjoy racquetball, softball, tennis, volleyball (sand, mostly), golf, skiing, and poker. I hope you'll let me know if you share one of these passions.

I coach because I want to help others. I greatly appreciate you visiting my site and I hope the SmileCoach blog will be your little secret weapon to help you stay "intrinsically" motivated and continue to grow as a coach.

Christopher, 12; Ariel, 6

Carissa, 6, Gregory, 3

November, 2014