An executive with an NBA team asked us today for more information about how exactly we help athletes and what we do. He has our book, he has read our website, and because sports life coaching is so new, he still needed more information.

The Sports Life Coaching process is not so different from taking your car to the mechanic for a 20,000 mile tune up. The mechanic inspects the car, checking the oil, the spark plugs, the breaks, the engine, the transmission, and maybe 35 different things. Then, based on that assessment, he figures out what, if any, additional work needs to be done to get the car to run the best it can run. 

We do something similar. Our 20,000 mile tune up assesses the athlete both on an off the court/playing field. We take a look at the athlete's attitude and beliefs, definitions of success, key relationships (e.g. with family, teammates, friends, coaches, the agent, the money manger, etc.), ideas about life after playing sport, his or her "brand," goals on the court, financial savvy, how he or she prepares before a game and then reviews the game, distractions on and off the court/field, and more.

Our assessment will include discussions with the athlete, some assessment tools that we use, and -- if appropriate -- discussions with people who know the athlete well.

We also have detailed discussions with the athlete about his or her goals in life in a variety of areas. Too many athletes think short-term and narrowly about their career, instead of thinking about the broader set of domains in life and the fact that he or she will have decades of productive life left after his/her playing days end.

From there, we have a really solid idea about where we can help the athlete achieve his/her goals, reduce distractions off the court or playing field, and develop new skills to be ready for a very successful life after playing. We have hundreds of tools, distinctions, and approaches -- including best practices from business, finance, sports, psychology, and coaching -- that can help athletes get even better and more confident.

This 20,000 tune up sets athletes up to be worth more money as a player, to be more attractive for endorsement deals, to get rid of internal and external distractions, to build stronger relationships and be a better teammate, and to be ready for a long and fulfilling life after their playing days are over.