Getting Out of My Comfort Zone
I ask everyone training and coaching at Grindhouse to step outside their comfort zone and do hard things. As a person who believes that “being a real one” is Walking the Talk, I am doing the same.
Recently I recorded a podcast with the guys from Level Up Grappling. They were interested in learning about the Grindhouse coaching methods and philosophy of skill development. We got into a deep discussion about the whys and hows of doing we do what we do. I was super nervous to put myself out here like this but I did it anyway.
In hindsight, I am grateful for the opportunity to grow and practice speaking about things that excite me. I met some awesome people and had a nice discussion with them. All good things!
This coming April I am pushing myself farther outside my comfort zone. For the last year and a half I’ve been collaborating with a small team to provide coaching camps for evidence-based coaching methods that are non-sport specific. We read a lot of books and research papers, listen to podcasts, and talk about how to put these ideas into coaching grappling.
We put together a coaching camp last year and are doing another one this April - and I am going to be a coach at the camp. My heart is beating fast already! But it feels like I need to do this for a few reasons so I am going for it!
Representation Matters. There are very few females in the grappling space that are the sole owners and head coaches of their own gyms. Can I inspire another female to believe in herself and take the leap? Hopefully so!
To Walk the Talk, I have to show the behaviors and growth mindset I want my students and coaches to adopt. I ask adult students to "fail" in each class to help them find better movement solutions. I encourage youth to compete in tournaments. I ask coaches to improve their skills, lead practices when they feel unprepared (though they aren't), and think about their own self-improvement. I want everyone to see me facing challenges.
My coaching will improve through the work I do to create the session for camp. I’ll create a practice session that I will teach outside of Grindhouse to a room full of coaches.
Do I sound like I am pep-talking myself? You betcha I am! It’s one of the strategies we use in the kids class to “be our own cheerleaders”. I can hear their sweet voices giving me courage … “I am confident”, “I am enough”, “I got this”.
What a blessing to be in a space where I receive far more than I can ever give. Let’s all keep supporting each other to push out of our comfort zone.