The average Division I player spends about 3,500 hours committed to their sport over the course of their career.

Only 4% of those hours happen in games.

That means 96% of the athlete experience happens everywhere else.

Practice. Lifts. Film. Travel. Meetings. Shootarounds. Rehab. Conversations. Quiet moments. Loud ones. The long bus rides and the early mornings.

The Trap Coaches Fall Into

Games are seductive.

They’re public. Emotional. Measurable. Wins and losses give instant feedback, and highlight plays make it easy to feel productive.

But if we’re honest, many coaches unintentionally coach for the 4%.

We pour all our energy into game prep.

We judge players primarily on game performance.

We let wins excuse poor habits.

But our most important work lies in the 96%.

Creating “Remember Whens”

Focus on creating “remember whens”:

• “Remember when coach stayed late to rebound for us?”
• “Remember that brutal conditioning day we survived together?”
• “Remember the practice where everything finally clicked?”
• “Remember how we laughed on that road trip?”
• “Remember when we were struggling and nobody quit?”

Those memories come from coaches who understand that how you run a Tuesday practice in January matters more than a Saturday in March.

Build what lasts on CoachLync!