Two excerpts from Coach Mickey Marley's new book,

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The full text of “Two excerpts from Coach Mickey Marley's new book,” by Mickey Marley, from the Vol 2 — Fall 2018 issue.

M ickey Marley is a veteran high school Tennessee football coach who recently wrote the book, “Game Ready: 52 Takeaways for Winning.” The forward was written by former University of Tennessee football coach Philip Fulmer. In the book Coach Marley lists the keys to cultivating talent, installing teamwork and creating a clear path to victory. A coach for 37 years, Marley is a member of the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The two excerpts from his book are printed with his permission.

To order a copy of the book just go to www.coachmickeymarley. com . The two excerpts include ‘Football, The Great Equalizer’ and ‘Altering the Self-Esteem Syndrome.’ Game Ready: 52 Takeaways for Winning

I have always loved the game of football. Ever since I was a little kid, I have just loved the game. What I really love is the physical aspect of the game. Truth, be told, I just loved hitting people. You know, when you’re a kid you just play. To me, that’s great.You learn the rules of the game as you grow; but no matter what, you just play. I was fortunate enough to play football from middle school through college. Through the years, my love for the change never changed.

As I said, I just loved to play and hit people; yet, I also learned something very important. Football is the great equalizer. What does that exactly mean? Well, to me, it means that everyone who is playing has a clean slate, no matter your race, your religion or your socioeconomic background. Everyone has a fair chance to show what they can do. I can’t speak for you but I can speak for me. That’s the way it was on every football team I ever played for growing up and in college.

Eventually, I became a football coach. That’s the way it’s been on every team I have ever coached in my more than thirty-seven year career. Now, I was never in one offensive or defensive huddler where someone said, “Let’s give the ball to the black guy or white guy or Asian guy or Latino guy.” What we did together was what made us a team. We came together, we listened for the play to be called, and we ran the play. It was that simple.

None of us cared about skin color, religious background or how much money an individual player had or didn’t have. Football, The Great Equalizer All we cared about was getting the job done, playing the game. We were all equal as players. This is not to say our individual talents were equal because they weren’t. I played with a lot of amazing athletes much more talented than me but as teammates we were equal.

We respected one another for what we could bring to the team as well as our strengths as individual players. The only color we saw was the color of the school uniforms we represented. We were a brotherhood brought together by our love of the game of football and what each one of us as individuals could offer the team. That very same brotherhood, brought by our love of the game of football, brought us together and caused us to love our teammates through the game of football.

Collectively, we didn’t care about anything else except our teammates and the team. Now, if that’s not what equal means, then I really don’t know what it does mean. If you want to see great equality, unity and brotherhood, then watch a great football team. Better yet, bring those attributes to your team, regardless of your occupation. It’s really pretty simple. I know for a fact that anyone who has ever played the game of football would agree with me that football is the great equalizer.

Now, imagine if you took the football out and replaced it with your occupation or organization. How great would that be. The possibilities are endless.

T here is no question that a team is made up of individuals all trying to accomplish a common goal. It stands to reason that a player will perform better, accomplish more and have a better chance of success if he feels good about himself and what he is doing. Helping your player achieve a level of confidence through skill improvement is a critical objective for every coach. If you think about it, we as coaches all face the same dilemma.

Do you tell them what they need to hear or do you tell them what they want to hear? Truth is you must tell them what they need to hear as honestly and directly as possible. To do anything less is simply to falsely inflate a player’s ego, which does nothing to build skill-based confidence. Giving out false self-esteem doesn’t do anyone any favors, except your opponent. A world where everyone gets a participation trophy, certificate, or ribbon does not exist in the real world of competition.

Telling a player upfront when he needs to make corrections prevents problems down the road for the entire team. Blunt assessment and honest critique matters most. What is at stake here, quite frankly is the success or failure of the team. Don’t get me wrong. I believe a player’s selfesteem is important, but it must be developed legitimately. Coaches determine where the opportunity exists within each player. The best way to do that is through an honest individual player assessment.

Every coach has his or her own style, which is at it should be. If that style is ‘firm but fair’ then demonstrate that every time. If that style is ‘relaxed but always in control’ then consistently deliver that style. But never confuse players by sugarcoating what needs to be fixed, no matter what type of coaching style you use. The job of building true self-esteem in an individual player is predicated on a coach taking time to show that player how to improve and holding him accountable for improving.

When you get that, you get a better, more confident player and, most importantly a more confident individual. The more of those you get, the better your team gets. I call that Team Esteem. There is nothing more satisfying than to coach a team that is confident, not cocky, but confident. It stands to reason these players will have a chance to dominate every time they compete if they follow the game plan and feed off the Team Esteem that has been created.

These statements sum up the job ahead when it comes to building Team Esteem. • You as a coach determine the selfesteem syndrome. • In the real world of competition, everyone does not receive a trophy. • Coach with a consistent style that never falls back on the temptation to sugarcoat. • Turn individual self-esteem into Tem Esteem. • Watch as individual and Team Esteem combine to create true confidence. It’s really very simple.

Giving out false selfesteem doesn’t do anyone any favors except your opponent. Altering the Self-Esteem Syndrome