Book Lessons with Coach Micaha

Hi! My name is Micaha, but everyone calls me Mimi. Sports have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I have competed in softball, basketball, and soccer at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. I earned athletic scholarships in multiple sports and continue to play travel softball today.

Beyond athletics, I recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration and will be attending Cleveland State University's Doctor of Physical Therapy program. I am also pursuing my NASM Personal Training Certification. My passion is helping athletes grow not only as players, but as confident, resilient individuals who can succeed both on and off the field.

I help athletes improve both physically and mentally through sport-specific training, strength and conditioning, and mindset development. For softball athletes, I specialize in hitting, fielding fundamentals, position-specific development, game awareness, and confidence at the plate. For basketball athletes, I focus on ball handling, shooting mechanics, game-speed shooting, off-the-dribble shooting, movement shooting, footwork, and conditioning. Beyond the physical skills, I help athletes develop confidence, resilience, and the ability to respond positively to mistakes and adversity. My goal is to help athletes become more skilled, mentally tough, and confident both on and off the field or court.

Every training session begins with a dynamic warm-up and movement preparation to help athletes perform safely and effectively. Depending on the athlete's age, experience level, and goals, we will focus on sport-specific skills, position work, hitting, fielding, basketball fundamentals, or strength and conditioning.

For softball athletes, sessions will typically include hitting instruction, defensive work, position-specific drills, and a small amount of conditioning. For newer athletes and younger players, we will spend more time developing strong fundamentals and building confidence through age-appropriate skill development.

One thing that makes my coaching unique is that I place a strong emphasis on the mental side of sports. We often finish sessions by discussing goals, working through challenges, reflecting on performance, identifying strengths and weaknesses, or developing strategies for handling adversity. I believe great athletes are built through both physical training and mental growth.

For basketball athletes, sessions typically begin with a dynamic warm-up and movement preparation followed by ball-handling development, shooting drills, footwork, and conditioning. Depending on the athlete's goals, we may work on stationary shooting, movement shooting, shooting off the dribble, finishing at the basket, game-speed repetitions, and confidence-building through repetition and skill progression. Like all of my sessions, we finish by focusing on the mental side of sports through goal setting, reflection, confidence-building exercises, or discussions about overcoming challenges and adversity.

I have competed in softball, basketball, and soccer throughout my athletic career and earned athletic scholarships at multiple collegiate institutions. I competed at both the junior college and NAIA collegiate levels while maintaining strong academic performance. My accomplishments include earning the Coaches Award in collegiate softball, receiving conference honorable mention recognition in high school, membership in Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, multiple academic student-athlete honors, Dean's List and President's List recognition, and graduating Magna Cum Laude. I have also competed in AAU, travel softball, and travel basketball, and I continue to compete in travel softball today.

The best coach I ever had was my travel softball coach, who has since passed away. He always saw potential in me, even during times when I struggled to see it myself. He challenged me to be better, held me accountable, and pushed me outside of my comfort zone while always believing in my ability to succeed. He also played a major role in helping me navigate the recruiting process and continue my athletic career at the collegiate level. His influence taught me the importance of confidence, resilience, and investing in athletes as people, not just players. Those lessons continue to shape the coach I strive to be today.

Athletes and parents should know that I believe sports should be both challenging and enjoyable. I expect athletes to work hard, stay focused, and treat others with respect. I have a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate language, disrespectful behavior, or poor sportsmanship because I believe character is just as important as athletic ability.

My coaching style is positive, compassionate, and encouraging. I believe athletes learn best when they feel supported and confident, while still being challenged to grow. I place a strong emphasis on both the physical and mental aspects of performance because confidence, resilience, and the ability to respond to adversity are skills that extend far beyond sports.

I also value communication and feedback. I enjoy hearing from athletes, parents, and fellow coaches so I can continue to provide the best experience possible. My goal is to create an environment where athletes can develop skills, build confidence, work hard, and have fun while doing it.