Hi all! This is Coach Paul, at your service here. I hope that everyone is having a great July thus far. We are just about halfway through the month already. Before you know it, Fall will be just around the corner! :-))
In a previous blog post, I discussed a youth coach’s responsibility (and various strategies) to getting his/her team out of the ‘Loss’ column and into the ‘Win’ column. Feel free to access that particular post HERE. In THIS post, we are going to flip the script, as it were, and chat about undisciplined winning.
Let’s say that you are a coach of a team that is pretty darned good. Hey, nothing wrong with that, that’s for sure. But what if your players begin to display mental and emotional characteristics that are not conducive to being a respectable/respectful winner? That is not a favorable place to be in; I think that we can agree to that hypothesis. So let’s take a firm look at six methods to instill humility in your players when they consistently win. These are important, so read on!
Earnest Reflection On Mistakes
In your post-game talks and in the course of your practices, you should encourage players to reflect on their mistakes and to learn from them. It is quite crucial that you help them to understand that making mistakes is a natural part of any learning process and that it is tremendously important to take ownership of them. Include in your talks, the chief point that making mistakes is part of life’s imperfections and that it is nothing to be ashamed of or be embarrassed about.
Emphasize the value of learning from failures and using them as opportunities for growth and reflection. Taking advantage of these opportunities as an athlete, will not only help the individual but also the team as a whole, in becoming more grounded. *Note: Your ultimate objective is not to have your players dwell on their mistakes and miscues. The aim is to have them firmly recognize their errors and to QUICKLY make substantive changes to remove those errors from any and all aspects of their play.
Foster A ‘Continued Growth’ Mindset
As you work with your players, you should always motivate them to continue to reach new heights, in terms of their skill set as a player. In other words, you want them to avoid having such thoughts as:
“Hey. I know it all!”
“What is he/she going to teach ME??”
“I can learn much better and faster, by teaching myself!”
These delusions are powerful and can be a cancer to your team.
Teach your players to adopt a growth mindset, which focuses on effort, learning, and improvement, rather than any fixed abilities. Encourage them to see challenges as opportunities for progress and to embrace feedback as a means to get better. This mindset helps players stay humble by recognizing that skills can always be developed and improved upon.
If you coach very young players (say ages 6-11), this might not be a huge issue to be concerned about. Younger players can tend to be a bit more pliable than say, kids ages 12-17, who want to grow up faster than what life intends. Nevertheless, instructing any child to always have an attitude of constant improvement, is a positive approach to pursue as a youth coach.
Celebrate Team Successes
When you win some games and/or are on a winning streak, it is important that your players maintain humbleness. You must highlight the importance of celebrating their success as a team, rather than on individual achievements. Yes, individual abilities and talents cannot be discounted when your team is winning on a continued basis, but in team sports, it is the TEAM that counts, above all.
Uplift your players to recognize and appreciate the contributions of their teammates. This can be invaluable, as varying talent levels on a team, are/can be contributing factors to winning. By promoting a team-first mentality, players are more likely to remain self-effacing and appreciate the collective efforts of every team member, that are required for success. You win as a team, you lose as a team. Never forget that.
Promote Strong Sportsmanship In The Midst Of Winning
Assuming that you and your team are above reproach in your winning of games, demonstrating good sportsmanship SHOULD be quite an easy task to demonstrate. In competitive sports, both parties (whether it be team or individual) have the same goal in mind…to win the game, correct?
With this realization made, mutual respect between the two competing teams/individuals, can certainly be established. When your team wins a game, it is imperative that you instruct your team to line up on the field/court/rink, to shake hands with the other team and tell them “Good game!”. Having legitimate respect for the losing team can go a very long way, to creating a culture of outstanding sportsmanship within your team. Even as the coach, you need to make it a point to shake the hand(s) of the losing team’s coach(es) and simply say “Good game, Coach!”.
NEVER make fun of a team that you have beaten in competition. Command and expect your players to follow this instruction as well. Poking fun at an opponent after your defeat them, is never, ever acceptable, as it simply runs counter to exercising maturity and strong sportsmanship.
Encourage Service And Community Engagement
This piece is especially useful for teenage players, as much younger players might not fully understand the concept (but you are certainly allowed to try!). As a coach, you can perform your own research to identify many opportunities for your players to give back to their community through service projects or volunteering. These can include, but are not limited to: holding free car washes, assisting staff at a local food shelf, mowing grass/raking leaves for elderly homeowners, picking up trash in local parks, offering up dog-walking services.
The list goes on and on, quite frankly. Engaging in acts of service helps players to fully appreciate that there are much bigger issues out in the world, that are beyond their own athletic successes and can foster humility by putting the needs of others before their own. Having your players continuously involved in these types of lofty endeavors, can increase their mental focus and performance in their sport. It will for sure, build tremendous character, which is a good reflection on you and a great reflection on the team.
In Conclusion: What kind of winners do you want to create?
By implementing these methods consistently in coaching practices, games, and team activities, youth coaches can instill humility in their players. These lessons will not only benefit players on the field but also in their personal lives, helping them develop into well-rounded individuals.
Please feel free to leave a comment below, about this challenging issue! If not, then you can simply say “Hi!”. I like it when people say “Hi!”. And as always…thanks for stopping in, folks!