Teamwork
Posted on Nov 20, 2007 under Team Coaching |Why do good teams often beat better teams? Sports are team based, and games are won and lost by teams, not individuals. Believe in your players, and they will learn to believe in each other. Your coaching example is more contagious than you might expect. There are several ways that good coaches help their teams reach new levels of success using teamwork.
1. Communication: There must be an open line of communication between the coach and players to discuss any troubling issues that might break down team cohesiveness. Encourage players to bring worries or concerns to the coach or captains.
2. Captain Selection: Leaders are not necessarily the best players. The true leaders often go unnoticed. Players can lead in intangible forms like work ethic, emotional stability, and humor.
3. Fairness: Treat each player with equal respect and avoid all forms of favoritism.
4. Tolerance: Each player brings value to the team in a unique way. Therefore, highlight the positive contributions and attributes of each player.
5. Cliques: Keep a watchful eye on players forming cliques that can sometimes lead to selfishness and jealousy. Encourage new friendships and roommate combinations on road trips.
6. Interdependence: Players are responsible for giving all they can toward team improvement, a common good. The reward is victory as the whole team celebrates the common goal.
Building a team is a constantly evolving process. Character and chemistry will develop more quickly in a supportive and positive environment. Team pride will result if each player and coach can give a degree of self-sacrifice. Players should accept the pride and responsibility that they are an important element of the team. Players should neither expect too much praise when they perform well nor fear too much scorn when they make mistakes. Why not? Because it is the team that succeeds or fails, not the individual.
There is nothing more important for a coach than instilling the fundamentals of teamwork. Above all, coaches are developing the players to become vital components on future teams at work, at home and throughout life.