Tuesday, December 17, 2013

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.

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