This article was provided by Coaches Network

Some teams may never reach their full potential even if they appear to have all the necessary talent. What’s often lacking is a little inspiration. For coaches that want to get the most out of their team, consider these three ways to inspire confidence and purpose in athletes.

With over two decades of coaching experience, John O’Sullivan has learned how important it is to build a team culture that makes every player feel important. “Every athlete, whether a star player or the last one off the bench, needs three things from a coaching staff,” he writes in an article on the Changing The Game Project website.

Coaches should ask themselves: “Does your presence make your athletes day a better one?  Do you recognize each and every one of them for their unique gifts and contributions to the team? Or do you only spend time with a few of your players, likely the starters and/or upperclassmen. Have you ever wondered why you had a roster full of talent, but no team?” writes O’Sullivan.

Here are his three methods for inspiring athletes:

Recognition:

It is easy to recognize the most talented players because their efforts usually decide the outcome of a game, but every player has something to contribute to a team and they should be recognized for it. Even athletes that don’t participate in games or competition could still be contributing during practice. Take the time to talk to each player on your team about the value of their hard work so that they know you recognize their efforts.

Small gestures like these can go a long way in terms of keeping athletes motivated and interested in the sport. “No matter how much they love a sport, eventually they will grow to hate it if they do not get recognized for contributing something to the effort,” O’Sullivan writes.

Relevance:

Every member of a team needs to have a role. It may be easy to pick out the shot taker or the scorer, but even those who spend most of their time sitting on the bench need to feel relevant to the team’s success. “Some can be leaders, some can be supporters, some can be the smart guy, others the funny guy,” O’Sullivan writes. “But most importantly, every player must be something. Players without a role feel irrelevant. They feel like their hard work and effort don’t matter.”

At practice, make sure that you spend time working with the reserves as well as the starters. Some players can be easily overlooked, but coaches need to make sure that every member of their team has a way to positively contribute. By ensuring that supporting players are treated with the same respect as top players, coaches can strengthen their team’s culture.

A Way to Measure Their Contribution:

Not every contribution shows up on the stat sheet. For example, a defender on a soccer team may consistently be stopping the opposing team’s offense, but there aren’t any statistics to show it. That’s why coaches should come up with creative ways to measure what each player contributes to the team.

“You can have players measure free throws made, or juggling in soccer, and chart progress over a season,” O’Sullivan write. “You can measure who shows up first or leaves last, and give recognition for that. You can also find tangible ways to measure your team core values. If your team values effort, you can give out hustle points in practice. If you value positivity, you can measure how often a player makes a teammate smile, or gives an encouraging word to a player who is struggling.”

Every sport is different, but finding things to measure provides a tangible way to show players that you value their hard work. This is also another goal for athletes to strive for. Every time that an athlete tries to improve, they know their efforts are being recognized.

Click here to read the ful article.

This post was written by Eric Musselman.

IMO, it is a great reminder that our words as coaches can last a lifetime with the athletes that we coach, so it is imperative that we choose them wisely and intentionally.

I hope there are a few thoughts contained herein that you can edit so that they are meaningful to your athletes.

Here is what Coach Musselman has to say about the post.

Over the last 10 years, I’ve tried to make a note of every time a player said, “Coach always says…”. I’d see an article, highlight it, and toss it in a file.

During that time, I’ve come across hundreds of examples across every sport. It’s a simple reminder of what messages players retain and recall, sometimes years after they’ve left the field or the gym.

Here’s a selection of them.

I hope that some of them strike a chord with you and that they help you with the messages that you craft for your team.

“Enthusiasm is like rippling water; it spreads.”

“Make the easy play.”

“Don’t let your mind convince you that you can’t do something.”

“Play with your heart on defense and your head on offense.”

“The next play is the biggest play.”

“The pain of regret is worse than the pain of disappointment.”

“Let the mistakes go because if you hold on to them you’re going to keep making mistakes.”

“Practice is not about punishment, it’s about improvement.”

“How do you want to be remembered?”

“In 10, 15, 20 years, we won’t remember the scores but will remember the times we had.”

“Something that is moving tends to keep moving, and things that are stopped tend to stay stopped.”

“Don’t fear who you play, even if you know they have an advantage over you.”

“If you can’t be on time, be early.”

“Stay calm and play your game.”

“Every play matters.”

“Things in the past don’t matter, it’s what’s going on now that counts.”

“Don’t take anyone for granted.”

“Keep a cool head in a hot situation.”

“Not to think about ourselves; think about your teammates.”

“There are only two directions we can go — up or down.”

“Don’t let the day go by.”

“A game is just a practice with more people.”

“Play with poise.”

“Being a member of a team is a privilege, not a right.”

“Nobody is going to outwork us, but nobody will have more fun either.”

“You have to go out and find the best competition to compete against if you want to get better.”

“If you are not doing it the right way, why are you doing it? Learn how to do it the right way and practice it the right way.”

“If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

“You’ll be remembered by your last performance.”

“Toughness is a skill.”

“Don’t let anyone know that you’re frustrated.”

“You can’t think you’re good enough. If you think you’re good enough, you’re never going to get better.”

“If you do the little things right you’ll have a much better chance to win.”

“What you put in is what you get out.”

“You’re six inches away from success.” [Six inches is the distance between your ears.]

“Winning isn’t like a light bulb. You can’t just switch it on when you need it.”

“You don’t improve during the playoffs. You improve at practice.”

“If you want to be a champ, you have to surround yourself with champs.”

“The season is a marathon not a sprint. What matters is that our team gets better with each game and practice.”

“Fix the small problems and most of the big problems correct themselves.”

“Life is a journey, not a destination.”

“We either get better or we get worse. We never stay the same.”

“Hesitate and you’re dead.”

“You have to go hard on every play because it could be the difference in the game.”

“An excuse is the easiest thing in the world to make.”

“I don’t want excuses. I want results.”

“In every crisis lies opportunity.”

“The game doesn’t teach character, it reveals it.”

“Games typically come down to five plays. You either make those plays or you don’t.”

“Keep your mouth shut and keep working.”

“You have to rise to the occasion.”

“The mental is to the physical as 4 is to 1.”

“Just get better every game (and practice).”

“You never have a rebuilding year, you rebuild within yourselves.”

“Concentrate on effort; the results will take care of themselves.”

“Stop talking about doing it and do it.”

“Good things happen to good people who work hard.”

“Life is about relationships.”

Turn the page. Good stuff, bad stuff, just turn the page.”

“Effort is good, but intelligent effort is what we want.”

“Action is quicker than a reaction.”

‘We’re not playing our opponent. We’re trying to beat the game. The opponent is just another hurdle.”

“Have your teammates’ back.”

“Process.”

“Do your job and half of somebody else’s.”

“The person on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”

“It’s not the quantity of practice, it’s the quality.”

“The advantage goes to the aggressor.”

“The people who move ahead are the ones who are ready when their opportunity comes.”

“Two or three bad things happen to you every game. You just have to come back and make another play.”

“It’s like a bundle of sticks. If you are one stick alone, it’s easy to break, but if it’s 11 sticks all together it’s hard to break.”

“Come back harder after you’re hurt.”

“No negative body language.”

“Hard work doesn’t guarantee success.”

“Your job is to find a way to turn the bad into good.”

“Take advantage of every opportunity that comes along. You may only have one chance.”

“The way you play in the game is a reflection of how you practice.”

“Forget about the last play. Think about the next play.”

“There is no such thing as a comfortable lead.”

“If you make a mistake, make an aggressive mistake.”

“The game starts in warm up.”

“If you have a passion for something, then do it as hard as you can — and as well as you can — every time.”

“Finish.”

“‘Potential’ is a scary word. It takes work to be good.”

“The team that makes the most plays and wins the turnover battle is going to win the game.”

“Don’t put your head down if you miss a shot.”

“Emotion comes and goes; passion is forever.”

This article was provided by Coaches Network

Eliminating the three “L’s”

Coaches are always looking to maximize productivity during practice time, and it can be frustrating when athletes are not completely focused on the task at hand. Yet, before punishing athletes for misbehaving or not paying attention, coaches should look at the way their practices are structured. By eliminating the three “L’s” (Lines, Lectures, and Laps), practices are likely to be more productive and enjoyable for everyone.

According to Sam Snow, Coaching Director for US Youth Soccer, in an article on usayouthsoccer.org, there should ideally be no lines of players during a training session. When running a drill, it is important that the athletes maximizing their time spent moving and actually working on a skill. Players are too often put in long lines during a drill where they spend the majority of their time standing around waiting for their turn.

Lines are boring. No athlete wants to go to a training session just to stand around. Ideally, there should be no lines of players during training and any drill should involve constant movement and involvement for the athletes. If there’s no way around having lines in your drills, then be sure to modify the drill so that there are several short lines with no more than three players each.

Lectures may be a necessary part of some sports, as coaches have to talk about character, expectations, and strategy. While these moments can be very important for the development of an individual or a team, time spent talking always needs to be balanced with time spent playing and enjoying the sport.

Student-athletes who spend most of the day in school already receive their fair share of lectures from teachers. So when a coach starts to lecture during practice, it’s no surprise that athletes may lose focus or get frustrated. Providing instruction is a big part of any coaches job, just make sure that athletes are given enough time to apply these lessons to practical situations. As Snow writes, “The rule of thumb for all coaches…is talk less and play more.”

Laps are often the most dreaded part of practice for an athlete. When anyone is misbehaving or not paying attention, coaches frequently use running as a punishment. “Some coaches have even used running as a punishment for an entire team at the end of a match if the team did not meet the coach’s expectations of performance,” writes Snow. “For the individual and the team, using running as a punishment hurts team morale more than it solves any behavior problem.”

Running is a major part of the conditioning and health of any athlete, and in some sports it’s especially important for performance. Athletes have to like running if they’re going to succeed. Therefore, using running as a punishment doesn’t actually help anybody.

Instead of trying to correct behavior by having athletes run laps, coaches should consider using other forms of discipline. “Why give something so integral to the sport a negative connotation both mentally and emotionally for the players?” writes Snow. “This is just the opposite of what the coach should be trying to achieve in developing a team.”

This article was provided by Coaches Network

It’s usually pretty easy to identify the most physically talented athletes. They stand out on the playing field, in practice, and even during tryouts.

But spotting athletes who can excel in the mental and emotional sides of sports is tougher. Their talents are often hidden by the skills and drills work that make up practices and tryouts, only to be revealed in the throes of competition.

Fortunately there are some common traits shared by athletes with a high sports IQ. Coaches in the Bethesda, Md., area shared their thoughts on what makes for a “smart” athlete with Jennifer Beekman in an article on the Bethesda Beat. These are good guidelines for coaches looking to identify and develop high sports IQ players.

1. Knowledge of the game

At the high school level, many players can get by on athletic talent alone. But the smarter players have a deep understanding of their sport that enables to get the most out of their talent, whether it be limited or abundant. The coaches say while genetics plays a role, they look for players who are immersed in their sport and spend hours and hours watching it played at the highest level. They can also encourage this abiding interest in their sport.

“If a student-athlete knows where to go, he’s substantially increased the chances of him making the right play,” Georgetown Prep Football Coach Dan Paro said. “I think [some kids] are born with that gene. But at the same time, I think they probably have watched hundreds of hours of football.”

2. Vision

Another ability common to smart athletes is the ability to see without looking. These players the peripheral vision to pick up a blitzing linebacker out of the corner of their eye while still maintaining focus on receivers downfield. Soccer coaches describe it as having your head on figurative swivel, so you can take in everything going on around you.

“We have a freshman, Jessie Gomez, who has a real high soccer IQ,” says Bethesda-Chevy Chase Girls’ Soccer Coach Rob Kurtz. “The game just slows down when the ball gets to her. She has great vision, perception of space, passing sense and reads the game [so well].”

3. Anticipation

Athletes with high sports IQ are always in the right place at the right time because they can anticipate what’s going to happen next better than their teammates and opponents. Smart athletes recognize small, subtle movements and actions in a way that lets them react quicker than those with more active fast twitch muscles. They also use what they see throughout a game to pick up an opponent’s tendencies.

“Smartness can help you because you can anticipate,” said Whitman High School Football Coach Jim Kuhn said. “Defensive backs, for example, you can anticipate the patterns [an offense] is going to run.”

4. The ability to maintain focus and composure

Some athletes excel in low-pressure situations only to disappear when a game is on the line. Smart players are able to use their high sports IQ to succeed when the stakes are the highest. Nia Cresham, Girls’ tennis Coach at Thomas S. Wootton High School looks for athletes who are able to remain focused through the chaos of competition and can embrace the good times while figuring out what to do when things aren’t going well.

5. Picking up on cues

Look for players who are able to sense when their opponent is on the ropes. Based on body language, emotional outbursts or uncharacteristic mistakes, they know when their foe is ready to crack and capitalize on it.

Put it all together and you have the type of athletes that coaches value most, even if others draw the headlines.

“There’s no question, you get players who make all the highlights, someone who beats three players and scores goals on diving headers, but that player is not usually set up until the brain of the team has funneled the play to that person,” Walt Whitman High School girls’ soccer coach Greg Herbert said. “Intelligent players are key to success.”