Promoting a Positive Attitude

The head coach of a sports team has one main job. He has to get the most out of his team. Everyone wants to win the championship, but the reality of the situation is that every single team but one is going to come up short of that goal, and if coaches are going to grade themselves by whether or not they’ve won it all, there are going to be a lot of unhappy coaches and players at the end of the year.

So ask yourself. Can you make your team better than it was at the beginning of the season? Can you take a group of under-achieving players and make them into a cohesive unit? Can you teach your players something about the game and improve their outlook on life at the same time? Maybe the first thing you should work on is promoting a positive attitude within your team.

At the beginning of the season every coach meets his or her new players and analyzes their skill-set and knowledge of the game. And lets face facts, most coaches know from the first day whether or not their team is going to be competitive or not. And it just as true that many coaches get frustrated on that very first day. A good coach never lets his team see this frustration.

Focus on the positive! Speak to your players about improvement. From the very first practice, speak of learning skills and working hard. We’ve all seen the comedy routines about the impossibly naïve coach who keeps talking about having fun while his players are getting killed, but in the long run, aren’t sports supposed to be about having a good time while simultaneously building character?

As the season progresses, keep after your players. Build them up, compliment their improvement; reward them for it! If your team is competitive, don’t forget what got you there! Continue to speak of team cohesion and learning opportunities. The worst thing you can do is to forget your plan and start focusing on the title; all you are doing is setting your players up for an even greater disappointment. You’ll make them tight, nervous, and in the end… will they still be having fun then?

Remember , even if you’re not feeling particularly positive during some point in the game, your attitude and your face, your posture, your entire being must reflect that you are positive. You have all the faith in the world in your teammates. They can do this and your positive attitude shows them that. Read more...