Nick Saban, head football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, addressed his team during spring practice and delivered one of his “truth-bombs.”

If you’re an average player, you want to be left alone because you want to slide by.
If you’re a good player, you want to be coached.
If you’re a great player, you want you coach to tell you the truth every day… You know why, they want to be perfect.

Everybody here makes a choice to do one of those 3 things

Joe’s Perspective: Coach Saban delivers a clear message. If you want to be a great athlete, you will be coachable… you will listen… you will take it all in and give your best effort to get better. That’s how good athletes become great athletes.  When a coach stops coaching you and stops providing honest feedback, it might mean that they don’t care as much or they are afraid that you can’t handle it. So, your job as an athlete is to ask your coaches to coach you hard. Tell them that you can handle honest feedback. Tell them that you are thirsty to improve and that your need their help to reach the next level.

Your Turn: Based on your playing career so far, what have you chosen? Are you an average player, a good player or a great player?