Sometimes in coaching it seems like there are a million things to do at the beginning of each season- assign uniforms and numbers, get opponents schedules, set up scouting schedule, arrange picture day, get senior banners, set up scorebooks, organize fundraiser, order shooting shirts. It goes on and on. All of this is on top of actually running practices and dealing with day to day issues.
As coaches, just when we feel that we have everything covered, something unexpected comes up. This can especially be true with our players and their buying into our team culture. There is nothing worse in coaching than feeling you have gotten blind sided by a player problem.
We are caught reacting to the unexpected, we are trying to put “out a fire” that we feel should never have happened.
It is impossible to anticipate every possible problem that can come up among our players- but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. A proactive person anticipates what is likely to happen and reacts before it occurs.
Example of Being Reactive
Anyone who has coached for a short time has probably experienced this situation:
Your teams wins a big game, maybe pulls of an incredible upset or an incredible comeback in a game. Everyone (almost everyone) goes into the locker room full of energy and happiness- it is a team celebration. You look over and there is one player not celebrating. Either they had a bad game or they didn’t get to play in the game. While everyone else is jumping with joy, they are sulking and are anxious to get out of the locker room.
This player may be a selfish player, and you would have predicted them acting this way. But sometimes it maybe an unselfish player and a great teammate but they may feel they let the team down. In either case, their body language unfortunately shouts- “I don’t care about the team, it is all about me.”
This is not an uncommon or an unpredictable event. It might be that if you had talked about something like this ahead of time it would never have happened. The unselfish player may at least pretend to be happy (and not disrupt the team). But the good player will now recognize that to not celebrate would be showing selfishness- and they genuinely do want to be a team first person.
Make List of Past Player Issues- A coach should sit down and try to list of issues players have had on past issues on your team, and issues you have heard other coaches have had to deal with. Some examples:
** Team wins, player with bad game pouts.
** Player feels they are open and not getting the ball.
** Player feels coach is yelling at them.
** Player or parents tell teammates they think they will transfer.
** Player or parents seem obsessed with scoring average.
** Player with bad body language on the floor or on bench.
** Player who gets upset with refs.
** Player interacting with parent in the stands.
** Bus conduct.
** Reactions to winning and losing.
Also make a list of positive behaviors and attitudes.
Talk About These Problems Before They Happen
If you wait to talk about these things after they happen, it is really tough to get thru to the player. Whether the player is still angry, embarrassed, or just defensive- the player often doesn’t want to listen after the fact.
Figure a routine where you can talk about one issue at a time for just 3-4 minutes. Maybe you have a “3 Minute Culture Time.” Place it wherever you want to place it- before practice starts, before shoot ft’s, at the end of practice. The general theme is that being part of a team is not easy.
Develop an outline with a topic for each day. Kind of like putting together a lesson plan for a classroom. Obviously if you then see the need to add a topic, have the flexibility to bring it in.
Share with players examples of being a good teammate and of being a bad teammate. Of handling challenges well and handling challenges poorly. It doesn’t have to be all bad things.
If you find a time to talk about these challenges when the players are calm and not in the heat of competition, it is likely they can look at things rationally.
The “challenges to being part of a team,” or “challenges in building a winning culture” are a great theme.
Develop your list to put on your agenda, and then find a spot to address the topics. Make it short and to the point.
Just Doing What We Do With Skills and X/O’s
What do we try to do in preparation for our games? We try to prepare for everything that our opponents can do. We don’t want to be caught by surprise. So we try to anticipate what may happen- so we will be prepared and handle the situation well.
That is what we should be doing with issues of team building and player issues too.
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