After a long weekend of coaching U10A from Thursday through Sunday, plus early mornings with my daughter’s U7 team, today was one of those days where the motivation just wasn’t there. I had a practice to plan, a tournament next week to prepare for, and the weekly article I try to put together for other coaches. I just felt drained. This is the part of coaching people don’t talk about much. Not every day feels inspiring. Some days you show up simply because that’s the commitment you made, and your players still deserve your best effort—even when it isn’t your best day.
There are days where the energy isn’t there, and ideas feel flat, and everything on the list feels heavy. Today was one of those. But even when I feel like that, I still know why I coach and what I owe these kids. Part of being a coach is recognizing when you’re not at your best while still finding a way to run a good practice. For me, that usually means leaning on a few drills I always keep in my back pocket—the ones the players enjoy and don’t require diagrams or long explanations. Our two-net activation game is a perfect example. It gets them competing, brings out their energy, and honestly helps boost mine when I need it.
Kids don’t need a perfect practice plan. They don’t need you to be dialed in every single time. What they need is consistency. They need to know you care, that you’ll show up, and that you’re steady even on the days where things feel off. This is the first time all season I’ve hit this kind of wall, but I know what will bring me back is seeing them work hard, seeing them smile, hearing them laugh, and feeling that lightness once practice gets going. That’s usually enough to flip my mindset. Leaning on my assistant coaches helps too. It’s a team effort.
At the end of the day, the kids will forget the exact drills we ran, but they won’t forget the consistency of the people leading them. Even when we’re tired or stretched thin, showing up matters. Our consistency becomes their consistency—and that sticks with them far longer than anything written on a whiteboard.
About the author: Jesse Candela is a regional scout in the OJHL, a U10 Rep A coach, and a contributor to The Coaches Site. He shares real experiences from the rink to help other coaches grow in the game.
