For the next number of weeks, I will be sharing excerpts from my new book, Soul Training - 7 Keys to Coaching the Faith of Elite Sportspeople. https://www.
Demonstrate genuine interest.
Demonstrate genuine interest in the people of sport, not just in the results of their competitions. For far too long the Church has been pleased to “use” sportspeople for their ministry ends and to trade on their celebrity status for institutional gain. Such a utilitarian attitude leads many student-athletes to keep the Church at arm’s length.
When our first interaction with a coach or competitor is to ask about the results of their most recent contest, their defenses go up immediately, especially if the results were less than good. To only ask about results or prospects for upcoming games is to diminish them as people. Ask questions about family, about school, about practice and teammates, or anything related to the process of being an elite or professional sportsperson. This demonstrates an understanding that he or she is more than an animal in a uniform. Love the coach or competitor, not his or her celebrity in the community.
Demonstrate genuine interest in sportspeople by asking questions to draw them into conversation, and then to probe more deeply toward their hearts.
Three levels of questions:
1. Questions that solicit facts. I ask the competitor’s name, hometown, position, uniform number, etc. These are mostly facts. Most anyone will offer these details.
2. Questions that elicit passion. I ask about the competitor’s sporting experiences and I’m looking for their love for the sport. I am leading them to tell me stories that awaken their passion for sport, team, competition, coaches, etc.
3. Questions that solicit their hearts. I ask about the matters at the core of who they are: values, faith, relationships, events, and other factors that shape their lives from the very center.
Please consider this brief list as a place to start with those whom you serve. Always ask process questions, not results questions. Fans and media only ask questions about results.
1. How is your team developing? Is the teamwork good?
2. How pleased are you with your _____? (Training, practice, hitting, rehab, etc.)
3. How pleased are you with preparations for your next competition?
4. Who among your teammates is doing very well?
5. What are some challenges you have encountered?
6. What sorts of situations in your sport bring out the best of your abilities?
7. How well is your team connecting with the coaching staff?
8. When your playing days are over, what do you think you will miss most about sport?
9. What are the situations in your sport that are most difficult for you?
10. Who are your most trusted teammates?
11. When and where are you most fully the person you want to be?
12. What elements of your life in sport are most pleasing to you?
13. What is there about your life in sport that will still be important to you 10 years from now?
14. When you are on the _____ (floor, field, court, track, mat, pitch, etc..), do you feel that God is near or distant? Engaged or disinterested? Pleased or disgusted? Why?
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