Recently I walked through a practice where the coach had stopped all activity to “talk” to the athletes. The coach was upset with poor execution and, from her perspective, poor effort on the part of athletes. The technical jargon isn’t what caught my attention, as most coaches are well versed in the details of the sport they are coaching. What gave me pause was the use of a phrase I have heard quite a bit in the last few years. She looked at her team, and then with great emphasis said, “I need you to do better. I need you to have more intensity. If you don’t, this is a waste of my time.” Though I believe the coach was trying to motivate her players to a higher level of play, what she didn’t realize was that she was sabataging the very thing she wanted to see. Rather than upping a sense of drive and determination among the athletes, they instead had a look of discouragement.
As coaches, we enter the position as highly competitive people. In an honest moment, we all would have to admit that part of what we really enjoy about coaching is the feeling of winning. But this needs to be kept in check. As soon as coaches (or parents, teachers, or bosses for that matter), put their own goals in front of those they are coaching, we set the athletes up for failure and disappointment. We have robbed them of their original motivation and replaced it with what we want. The reality is, we become much more effective and successful over the long haul if we put athlete goals ahead of our own. We teach our athletes to become goal directed, growth focused, and intrinsically motivated. As any cowboy can tell you, a thirsty horse will run to water. But a whipped horse will scamper around trying to figure out how to make you happy. All you need to do now is figure out how to make him desire the water.
This begins by developing a high functioning culture. Rather than promoting fear among your athletes, or attempting to coerce them into pursuing your aspirations, put your efforts into building an environment that fosters meaningful engagement. Start by establishing roles that facilitate success. Leave no one out. Give each of them a role in which each has a responsibility to the team. You will quickly determine who is committed, and who needs to find a hobby. You also quickly learn which athletes need the most coaching and guidance, and who can be counted on to take care of business without oversight. Make sure each of the roles is focused on helping the team have success in some way – this practice, this week, this game, this season, and so on. By providing an opportunity for each individual to have a signifcant and contributing role, you promote a higher sense of worth and dependability amongst all the athletes.
Another equally important step is to trust your athletes. The bottom line is that nearly every human wants to grow and become successful. Those that don’t rarely show up in athletic environments unless they are forced there. So focus on the vast majority who have come to compete, and realize they are hungry to do something they already find important – win as an athlete. When you start every practice with that as your core belief, the rest of your thougths are about how to HELP them get there. When you address them at the start, verbally recognize their desire to improve and state your commitment to guide them there. And before you start, in your own words, ask for permission to lead. You might be surprised at the intensity of focus and effort they give in return.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty coaches have is in dealing with mistakes athletes make. This goes hand-in-hand with what I have already stated above; trust their desire to do it well, and embrace their goals to become successful. Then get to the hard work of helping them learn through mistakes. Though it has become somewhat cliche in recent times, there is no doubt that failure and mistakes can be opportunities to grow. What you need to recognize as the coach (or parent, teacher…..) is why the mistake occurred. Some athletes lack the awareness of what was done wrong. Others may have been over zealous in their effort, and missed an important cue in execution. Some may have relied on an old set of rules, and applied them incorrectly in a new situation. Figuring out why then leads to you being able to provide help in his learning. I encourage you to have the following written on your clipboard as a quick method of solving mistakes and turning them into learning moments. Identify what went wrong versus who is wrong; Explore and explain why it was wrong; Ask how we can fix it for the next time. This strategy alleviates the pressure of being incompetent and encourages the athlete to participate in finding the solution. One of my favorite baseball euphamisms might highlight the importance of my point. The ball always seems to find the guy who made the last mistake. If this is true, how valuable is it to have an athlete who has been taught to be a confident problem solver?
Building a culture of determined athletes also requires bravery on the part of the coach to let go of the reigns. I’ve mentioned the value of allowing athletes to set the goals, and I think it becomes obvious at how empowering this is for them, as well as rewarding for the coach. But along the way, provide opportunity for athletes to participate in both recognition of progress and feedback. Encourage your athletes to take the time to evaluate themselves. Can they identify what was done well and why? The ability to do so is a confidence booster (even in games they lose), and promotes a sense of competence. Teaching them to evaluate execution is also a powerful tool that bolsters goal adherence. Your setter in a volleyball match may have delivered to the right player at the net, but getting her to evaluate the level of accuracy will inspire her to work harder in practice at making quality passes.
Imagine how different things would sound from the coach I mentioned at the start if she took these ideas into account. She likely would have asked the players to check in about what THEY were trying to get accomplished. Rather than stopping everyone’s activity, she could have been more efficient in working with those who wanted/needed to improve, while letting the motivated and successful athletes continue. A lack of effort would probably not have been an issue, as most of the athletes would have realized they have an responsibility to work on improving for the good of the team. In all honesty, these are not easy steps. As coaches, we often feel the pressures of the community, an institution, and our own self-worth. But taking the long-term view is better for the athletes, ourselves, and the relationship of both. Work hard at developing a cuture of determination. Should you find yourself needing more help in this area, why wait? Make the call, bring in an expert.