Coach replied with a final text: "Those who are willing to pay the price do. See you at 5:00 A.M."
When Martin arrived at the office, still half-asleep, Coach told him they were going on a little trip. They walked to the parking lot and got in Coach Ken's truck.
Martin fell asleep as Coach Ken drove about a half hour to his favorite fishing spot at a nearby lake. When they arrived, Martin woke up, asking groggily, "Where are we?"
"Fishing. We are at one of my favorite spots on earth. Some call it a lake. I call it God's country. Now grab this fishing pole and follow me," he said as they walked through a long and windy trail until they reached a boat that was tied to a dock.
"Get in," Coach said as Martin climbed awkwardly into the boat. Coach Ken got the boat started and off they went to a quiet spot in the middle of the lake.
Martin just sat there holding the pole, wondering what in the world he was doing on a boat in the middle of a lake at 5:30 in the morning when he should be sleeping, getting ready for a full day of practice.
"You ever been fishing before?" Coach Ken asked, even though from the way Martin held a fishing pole it was clear he had no idea what he was doing.
"Only fishing I've ever done is in my bathtub," Martin quipped.
Coach Ken laughed. "Well, it's real simple. Just hold your pole up, keep your line in the water, and let the fish come to you," he said. "I made it easy and even put the bait on the hook for you. Now simply be still. It's very relaxing."
"More like boring," Martin thought.
"And a few rules for fishing you need to know."
Martin wasn't in the mood for any rules, especially at 5:30 in the morning, but he acted like he was interested.
"First, positive people catch more fish. Stay positive," Coach Ken said.
"Second, seize the moment. When the fish bite, that's when you have to be ready. With fishing, you spend most of your time baiting and waiting and only a brief moment actually catching the fish. When the moment happens, you must be ready. A lot like sports. And the third and final rule, don't leave fish to find fish."
"That's it?" Martin asked.
"That's it," Coach answered. "That's all I got."
"Sounds good to me," answered Martin, who wondered when they were going to head back to training camp. He was starting to wake up and this was the last place he wanted to be.
"So, Martin," Coach said, clearly changing the direction of the conversation. "I have an important question to ask you."
"What's that?" Martin asked.
"What are you afraid of?"
"What do you mean?" Martin asked.
"I mean exactly what I'm saying," Coach answered. "What do you fear?"
"Nothing," Martin said as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and wondered why Coach Ken was asking him this.
"Come on, Martin. Everyone has fears. Everyone is scared of something. The best all have fear, but they overcome it. They conquer it. They succeed in spite of it. So, what are you afraid of?"
"I'm not sure," said Martin. "I haven't really thought about it."
"Well, you need to think about it," Coach countered. "To overcome your fear, you have to know what you are up against. To beat your enemy, you must know your enemy. Average people shy away from their fears. They either ignore them or hide from them. However, the best seek them out and face them with the intent of conquering them. So, I'm going to ask you again, Martin, what are you afraid of?"
Martin still wasn't sure what to say. He knew he was scared of his mother dying, but he didn't want to tell anyone. Other than that he couldn't think of what he was afraid of besides his ankle not being full strength.
"I'm scared of my ankle not healing," he said, hoping to give Coach Ken something so he would move to another subject.
But Coach Ken wasn't about to take the bait. "Oh, come on, Martin, you have to give me more than that. Life's too short to be lived superficially. If you want to be the best, it's time to go deeper, and it starts by uncovering and exposing your fears.
"So, I'm going to ask you again. What are you afraid of?"
Martin felt the knot once again in his chest and in his stomach. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to tell anyone. Doing so would make it more real than he wanted it to be, but he had to give Coach something.
"My Momma," Martin said. "She's sick. Has a bad heart. Needs surgery that I don't have the money to pay for yet, and I'm afraid of her dying. There, I said it," he admitted. Martin shook his head as tears welled up in his eyes.
Coach acted like he didn't know, but he did know. It was their job as coaches to know as much about their players, their families, and their histories as possible. He felt horrible that such a young man had to carry such a heavy responsibility and burden, but he also knew that everyone carries a burden with them through life. Everyone is tested with challenges beyond their control. Everyone has experiences that will reveal their weakness and brokenness, and yet it was this brokenness that would ultimately make a person seek wholeness and the ultimate healing.
"I'm sorry about your mother," Coach said as he put his hand on Martin's shoulder.
"Yeah, me, too," Martin said.
"Is there anything I can do?" Coach asked.
"Get her a new heart," Martin wanted to say, but he knew that was his job. He couldn't put that on anyone else. So he just said, "No, I got it covered."
"And what bigger fear does this bring up for you?" Coach Ken asked, knowing that there was still yet a bigger fear that Martin needed to realize and confront. He knew that there were fears, and then there were really big fears. And it was smaller, more obvious fears that would lead you to the bigger hidden fears if you followed the trail.
Unfortunately, Martin wasn't ready to go there. He hit a wall, shut down, and said, "I don't know, Coach," and made it clear with this body language that he didn't want to talk anymore. After talking about his mother he felt exposed and vulnerable.
"That's okay," Coach said. "We've made some progress. But remember, if you want to be the best, you have to know what you are up against. Not just one fear. Not just your smallest fear. But your biggest fear. And then you must overcome all of them. That's the seventh trait of the best of the best.
"Thanks," said Martin, wishing he had never said anything about her.
As they headed back to the dock Coach knew it was a good decision to take Martin fishing. Though they didn't have the breakthrough he had hoped for, he knew that Martin was uncomfortable, and this was a good thing. Sometimes a man has to be isolated and have no way out before he is willing to look within and above. Sometimes he has to go through darkness to want to see the light. He had to be desperate. Unfortunately, Martin wasn't desperate enough yet.