Full Time Youth Basketball Coach...

It has been now almost 6 years I've been working with the youth full time. From a couple hundred dollars per week to now six figures a year. In just under six years I was able to build a business in an almost non existing industry of basketball skill training, work on 5 continents and spread the love for basketball all over the world among coaches, players and parents.

There are tens of thousands of YouTube videos and Instagram clips of basketball drills or people training other people, but the truth is there's only a handful of full time skill coaches out there who do basketball training for a living. Most of the "coaches" train only on the weekends just to supplement their income from their day jobs.

I moved to the US from Poland in 2013 with a goal of starting my own training business, I didn't really know how or where to start. Prior to my move I had sent about 200 emails to schools, AAU organizations, Boys and Girls Clubs... I only got a couple responses. One of them was from the YMCA's sport's director Mike Ford, who seemed very excited to bring me on board as an volunteer coach, and that's how I started my American coaching career.

I moved here with $200 in my wallet which I borrowed from my now wife, which later I spent on an airplane ticket to Hartford, MS to be one of the coaches at a summer camp ran by Ray Allen (I got paid $100 for two days of work, so almost made it back :) )

In the mean time I started running Craigslist adds about basketball classes. I ran 15 adds per day everyday all over Florida for 3 months, until I received my first phone call from a client. I still remember the phone call and the first session. I had been hungry and ready for that moment for months, and it finally came! From that moment for some reason the phone started ringing a couple time a week, adding more and more clients, and after 3 months I was able to become a full time skill coach earning about $250 per week! Another few months in, and my clients were scattered all over the state, and I was spending more time in the car than on the basketball court. Every Friday I'd have classes in the Miami area, Saturdays in Tampa, Sundays in St. Cloud., Monday, Wednesday Friday morning - Flagler Beach, Tuesday and Thursday a couple clients in Orlando. The days I mentioned were my regular clients, on top of which I'd go to Jacksonville quite frequently, or on the way back from Miami I had a few clients in Port St. Lucie. etc...

After about one year working my gas and gym rental expenses rose up to over $1000 per month, I also build a big clientele base in Brevard County where I live now, and decided to rent a warehouse and transform it into a basketball training facility.

I used all the savings I had to pay the deposit, first month rent, buy a basket and a couple of chairs, and within a couple of days I became a gym owner! After a couple of months I saved up enough to buy the floor. The first month of owning a gym I increased my income by 50% and the second month by 100%. Working long days, 7 days a week for a year finally paid off, but I didn't settle there, I always knew I can do big things, and kept on working even harder.

With the high demand for basketball training and very good results I kept on steadily growing, and luckily this trend continues till this day. Over the past 6 years I was able to build a business in an almost non existing industry of basketball skill training, and visited multiple countries working with the players and coaches. A few months ago my brother and I were able to go to China to run a clinic for coaches, where we thought and certified 25 coaches with the Coach P. Basketball - Basketball Training Certification. I don't think there's anything more rewarding than knowing that other people are willing to pay to learn from your experience. Teaching the kids is one thing, but teaching other teacher is another level.

With enough courage, will power, and education you can achieve whatever your goals are. No matter how crazy they seem if you think you can achieve something you'll get it, you just have to back it with thousands of hours of work, but I promise it's worth it!

Achieving your goals and dreams is one of the hardest thing in life but, you can't put a price tag on a goal that has been achieved. If you really want something go and get it.

My biggest fear is to be on a death bed and regret I didn't do something I really wanted.  I'm lucky enough to wake up with a smile on my face every morning, and go to sleep with even bigger smile thinking about the next day.

Patryk Janiszewski M.Ed.