Coach Earls - The Coach I Needed
I had a mentor who changed my life.
I saw fast success in this industry. At 23 I trained my first NFL draft class which produced a 1st round pick, a 2nd round pick, two 6th round pick, and a total of 8 guys who played in the NFL. In addition to this, I was training an NBA all-star and had a group of 30+ high school kids who would go on to play major college athletics. Not to mention one of my high school kids what the #1 recruit in the nation.
Here I was, a kid who hadn’t played college sports and who had fallen into a great situation where I was entrusted to train all these top athletes. I job title was Director of Performance at EFT Sports Performance in Chicago and I thought I had made it.
The kicker was, I had no clue what I was doing…
My boss, Elias Karras who is one of the most genuine humans on the planet, saw something in me and told me I was going to learn on the fly. We worked 7 days per week and on average coached over 60 guys per day. They say it takes 10,000 hours makes you a master. Well, by about hour 500 I thought I was a master already.
I didn’t get it…
In my 23 year old head I thought I had made it because I would go to the bars with NBA players and I trained some of the best players on the Chicago Bears.
I didn’t realize that what I was doing had no impact on the lives of my athletes. I was just their trainer and our relationship was no deeper than that. My impact was limited and the development was strictly on the physical side.
It wasn’t until I was hired by Purdue University to work with their Football, Golf, and Track & Field teams that I met a man who’s positive impact changed my outlook on coaching.
For whatever reason Coach Jeff Earls was placed in my life.
When I got to Purdue I had an ego. A massive ego. However, I walked into a situation I had never been in before. There were 10 coaches on staff and every one was smarter and more experienced than me. But, the real separator was that they were better at connecting with the athletes. They knew that if you were going to have an impact it has to be on an emotional level. The physical development was just a byproduct.
I would watch Coach Earls talk with athletes for hours about life and their struggles. I would think to myself, “why is he taking so much time with that athlete” and question if it was the best use of his time.
I remember one time I had an athlete who would make every excuse in the book to miss her workouts. She was a stud and I wanted to help her but she never showed up for lifting sessions. Coach Earls told me to talk with her about her apprehension to the weight room and about what else is going on in her life. I never had that conversation and her absence in the weight room continued. Looking back now, I know that if I had that conversation and connected with her on a deeper level I would have been able to help her.
One day Coach Earls looked at me and said… “Rob, it’s not about the X’s and O’s. It’s about the Janes and Joes.”
That small statement shook my whole outlook on coaching. It rerouted my path and redefined my goals as a coach.
Now, for me, everything I do is about personal development. Don’t get me wrong we still bang weights and attack speed training but it’s about more than that to me.
My goal from that moment became this “Be the coach you needed at 16”
This is why I don’t train pro athletes anymore. I can’t have the impact that I do on a high school or middle school athlete. To me, young men and women need positive people in their lives who care enough to be completely honest with them about their performance and decisions.
When I was young I was lost. I had no clue what to do with my life and I had no clue what the purpose behind athletics was. I needed a coach and a mentor. Luckily I found someone who set me on the path I am on now. My only hope is that I can do the same for my athletes.
