Keeping Your Team Strong (Part 3 of 3): Coaches

Coaches

When it comes to keeping a team strong through the course of a long season, a coach could be the make or break.  Coaches have a responsibility to manage parents, players, administrators, practices, & schedules in such a way that their team is able to compete throughout the year.  Here are a few ways that coaches can help keep their team strong throughout the year.

Communicate

     With Players:  No doubt a player’s play time will vary over the season, or their responsibilities increase/diminish.  If a coach is going to keep his team strong, then he needs to make time to talk to players often about their roles, responsibilities, and concerns.  It would be great if each player would just do what they’re told and give their all while doing it, but the fact is – that doesn’t happen.  A coach needs to manage emotions, egos, and understand outside influences when it comes to players.  He/She then needs to listen to their players, help them work through mental/emotional issues, and while still maintaining the understanding that you are the coach and you have to do what’s best for the team and the player.

     With Parents:  Parents are creatures of emotion just as much as players.  No matter how many times they tell you differently, the fact is – they want to see their athlete succeed.  Understanding what the parents mean by this is critically important to maintaining a good relationship with them, and their athlete.  If you never talk to parents, or listen to their concerns, then you could be setting yourself up for a big problem at the end of the year.  Encourage them to talk to you, but take the time to talk to them.  Don’t just tell them how much you love their athlete – show them.  Your actions will speak louder than your words, but your words and actions must line up – that’s called integrity.  The coach who wins the parents heart will have a much better chance at winning the athletes heart, and when you win both, you have created a foundation upon which you can build great things – as long as you continue to communicate with them.

Properly Correct

     Just being honest – this is a difficult one for me.  I see things in one light as a coach, a parent sees it in a different light, and a player sees it in a different light altogether.  Correcting is a delicate issue.  A coach must know when to correct softly, forcefully, individually, and as a team.  They must also know when to show mercy & grace.  This requires hard work and humility, and only those willing to put in the effort will succeed in properly correcting his/her teams or players.

     A coach must also realize the importance of understanding each player and how that player needs to be corrected.  Some will be just fine with getting yelled at, but others need a more silent approach.  It’s important to take time getting to know your parents/players so you can understand how each one should be corrected.  If you are going to yell, then you must make sure to not make it personal, embarrass, or publicly humiliate.  It’s easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment, but you have to learn to let go.  At the end of the day, no matter how highly you think of a player, they are still a kid/teenager with real emotions.  It’s important that you maintain a balance of vocal correction & physical correction (i.e., running/push-ups/etc…).  Otherwise, a player will start to despise you and you will start to see a wedge driven between your team when they need unity the most.  Never forget, a loss never killed anybody.  It’s more important to properly teach athletes then it is to win.  You can’t do that if you are always caught up in the moment.

     You must also encourage them as much as possible.  It is a lot easier for your correction to be seen than it is for your encouragement.  This just means you have to work twice as hard to show a player your love & appreciation so that they understand you really care for them as people – not just players.  The coach who wins his/her players heart will be more effective than the coach who ignores his/her players.

Go the Extra Mile

     A coach must continue to work on getting better as a coach if he/she is going to earn the respect of their team.  The team that sees a coach putting in the time to communicate, adjusts on the fly, practices patience, and continues learning will respond with the same – and more!  Serve your team by going the extra mile in your coaching, and your team will go the extra mile for you!

Keeping a team strong through a season is hard work, but it’s result usually leads to a unified team.  A truly unified team is when the parents, players, & coaches put each other first in striving for each other’s best.  They have a clear vision, understand their mission, and walk in step with each other – serving each other.  When this happens the team reaches another level – they find a higher gear.  They achieve more and reach greater heights because the desire for excellence is greater than their self-ambitions.  

This team is a happy team.

This team is a winning team.

This team is a championship team.

This team is an excellent team!

Striving for Excellence,

Coach CJ

Executive Director – C.H.S.M.

www.chsmhouston.com

Follow CHSM on Twitter (@chsmhouston)

Follow Coach CJ on Twitter (@CJPomeroy1)

www.facebook.com/chsmhouston

Keeping Your Team Strong (Part 2 of 3): Players

Click here to read part 1

Players:

The athletes play a critical role in keeping their team strong & ready for the season.  Superstar players can help you win a game,but teams comprised of strong character and skilled players will help you prepare to win a championship.  So what can players do to help keep their team strong?

Take care of business at home & school. 

Too many times athletes hurt their teams at critical moments because they don’t get their school done, keep their grades up, or obey the rules at home.  It’s really basic – maintain your grades and don’t get in trouble at home.

Work on your game outside of practice.

                I know it can be tough to get in much practice time outside of practices/games.  However, nothing does more for a team then to a see a player help them win by using a skill that was a weakness coming into the season.  So, find extra time each week to work on a weakness, or enhance a strength. You don't pay a price to fail. You pay a price to succeed. How much are you willing to pay?

Be humble – Serve your team.

                Real champions are humble servants.  They serve their team by giving encouragement constantly, helping their teammates get better outside of the gym, pushing themselves to the max in every drill and at every game, accepting their role, and having a right attitude.  Sometimes the circumstances get rough and a player will be greatly tested.  An injury, reduction of playing time, loss of a coach or teammate, or issues at home can really hurt the psyche of an athlete.  Yet if that same athlete responds with a positive attitude and puts his thoughts and efforts on serving others, then not only will they learn some valuable life lessons, but they will become a rock of stability when the team needs it most late in the season.

Keeping our teams strong throughout the course of the season requires a lot of hard work by the parents, players, and coaching staffs.  The outcome of the season though will be largely determined by the player’s desire for excellence.  Players can be overcome by the circumstances, or they can overcome the circumstances.  It’s not our actions, but our reactions that defines the character within us.  A player’s right reaction to a long season will help the team be strong!

Keeping Your Team Strong (Part 1 of 3): Parents

Because parents, players, and coaches invest so much time, money, passion, & energy into athletics it’s easy for division to happen within teams and programs. All it takes is a persistent negative attitude, over-bearing parent, or a high-strung coach to cause fracture. It takes a team effort from your parents, players, and coaches to keep your team from falling apart during the battle of the season and it's imperative that excellent programs stay united.

So how do you keep your team strong and ready to compete in every game?

With help from your:

Parents

No doubt you are sacrificing a lot for your kids to play. A lot of times you expect a return on your money thru playing time. Much of the complaints that a coach receives is due to this one reason, and it can be a serious detriment to the team. If you really want to be about the team, then make it a rule – NO COMPLAINING ABOUT PLAYING TIME. A coach already has to deal with the inconsistencies of players during a game, player egos, and attitudes (all players have an attitude – it’s either helping the team, or hurting the team). The last thing a coach needs to be thinking about during the game is “will my parents be mad at me”. A coach cannot do his best if he always has to think about what parents think of him/her.

Now understand this, your son or daughter may deserve to play the most. They may be the best player on the team. Complaining to your coach about this though only causes a coach to take his mind off of the TEAM. You don’t know what a coach is already thinking about, or why he makes the certain decisions. However, you aren’t helping the TEAM by telling the coach how to do his job better. If it’s something that really needs to be addressed, then consider these things:

(1) Encourage your kids to overcome. Life is not fair. Teach your kids how to overcome the hard times now. This only prepares them for what they will face later in life. Whatever you do, don’t quit simply because they aren’t playing as much as you want. This example will teach your athlete to be loyal to the decisions they make.

(2) Set up a private meeting with the coach and ASK - not demand - what your athlete needs to do to EARN more playing time. Don't forget - other athletes may have worked just as hard as yours.

(3) Review how much work your athlete really is putting in. Are they making EVERY practice? Do they do specific workouts outside of practice? (FYI – playing ball at church or with your friends does not count). Are they obeying the coach’s instruction during practice & the games? Does your athlete carry themselves with a good attitude regardless of the circumstances? Are they on top of their schoolwork? If they aren't excelling at one of these items, then that could be what’s holding them back on the court.

We will do more for our teams, programs and players by teaching them how to get through obstacles, rather than away from obstacles. Stick to it – OVERCOME!

Coach CJ

Executive Director – C.H.S.M.

www.chsmhouston.com

Follow CHSM on Twitter (@chsmhouston)

Follow Coach CJ on Twitter (@CJPomeroy1)

Click Here to “Like” us on Facebook