For the past week I have lived in Tokyo, Japan. I has been my first experience of this country, and I have deliberately made myself uncomfortable. I don't like being uncomfortable. I really don't. Not many people enjoy it, let's face it. But this trip took me way out of my normal environment, and I made an effort to embrace it. I wanted to learn!

So here are a few things that made me uncomfortable:
1. Traveling alone, especially internationally, scares me a lot. I don't like it at all. Anything could go wrong. I could lose my passport, my wallet, get sick, or many other things where I wouldn't have anyone who knew me or could get help.

2. Going somewhere where the language was completely different. I can understand most Latin-based languages. Japanese is far from that.

3. Traveling by train/metro at night when a taxi would be a much simpler and safer option. FYI, the first night I ended up on the wrong line with the wrong ticket which created some additional issues. In other situations, I managed to get on the wrong train and go in the opposite direction of where I was hoping to go.

4. Choosing a "room" (see picture) that I normally wouldn't. Sure, I could stay in a nice hotel room, but I wanted to do something new.

6. I took public transport even though taking a taxi or Uber would be much easier and convenient. I got lost. I paid the wrong price for tickets. I went the wrong way. But I learned.

7. I tried new foods and drinks. Trust me, I regretted some of those decisions, but some of them I did not. However, how will we know if we do/do not like something if we do not try it at least once?

8. I tried to speak Japanese and tried to follow some of their customs. Was it comfortable? NO!!! I'm horrible at Japanese but I made the effort.

9. I tried to speak to people when I didn't want to. I'd much rather keep my mouth shut and not talk to anyone (seriously, if I don't know you well then I'd rather not talk). But that's not how connections are made at an international conference. So I made the effort to introduce myself to people rather than the other way around. Awkward? Yes! Worth it? Yes!

10. Last, I told myself to do things even when I didn't want to. I cannot tell you how many times I told myself to do something even when I didn't really want to. Why? Because I knew it was a good idea, even if my personality screamed at me not to do it. I won't list the number of times I said "no" to myself, but I deliberately ignored that internal voice. For example, here I am at Hachikō Square, the most famous and perhaps populous square in Tokyo. I dislike large crowds, but I wanted to see Hachikō Memorial Statue. I can't tell you how many things went wrong in my trip to see that statue, but I did the uncomfortable to get there. I'm glad I did!

Why am I writing all of this? It's a long post. I want you to understand that within sports and sports performance, the same attitude is necessary. Too often, we choose what is comfortable and familiar. We choose to make decisions based on what we know, not on what we do not know. We don't make the best decision; instead, we make the most comfortable decision.

For me, this was probably one of the most rewarding conferences I have ever attended. Did I learn a lot from the conference? Yes, I did, but no more than any other conference I attend. Rather, I learned so much more by pushing myself to be uncomfortable. That's where the true learning took place.

I leave Tokyo a different person (thank you Japan Racquetball Federation and Japan Sports Council). I have been made uncomfortable. I can't say I enjoyed the experience of being uncomfortable, but I learned and grew from it and I know I'm a better person for it. What are you doing in your environment to be uncomfortable? How are you bettering yourself?

In this short video, I discuss Tim Grover's comments about taking advantage of success and pushing forward rather than resting when an athlete reaches the top.

Over the past year I have been blessed to include a variety of guest speakers in our Oklahoma State University Sports & Coaching Science program. Professional and amateur athletes, sports administrators, international coaches, professional trainers... the list goes on. It's been amazing to hear and learn from so many successful professionals in sport!
Recently, I was reminded by a guest speaker the importance of knowing WHY. The speaker, a director of a large rowing program, highlighted how imperative it was that coaches (and anyone working in the sports professions) knew exactly what they were doing but also WHY they were doing it. Why this training program? Why this nutrition? Why this rehab? The list could go on.


This is a valid point: how many coaches, if asked WHY, respond with examples such as...


"Because I'm coach."
"That's how my coach did it and he/she was very successful." "It's what I did when I was competing."
"I read it somewhere."


There are more. The point I'm making here is that we, as sports professionals, have a responsibility to continue learning and improving our craft to ensure that we have the most current knowledge and skills necessary to get the best from our athletes and clients. Anything less and we are failing to give our best.

In this Stillwater Area Sports Association (SASA) video, I explain some of the considerations coaches need to have when developing a practice or series of practices in youth sports. I cover topics such as warm ups, stations, punctuality, core values, periodization, homework, and cool down. Thanks to Ms. Melissa Jensen for her contributions to this content.

Too often we tend to criticize ourselves or our athletes for making mistakes. Using an example from the book Motivate Your Child, I very briefly share why these situations should be used as learning opportunities.