kdsmith27 14 Report post Posted September 6, 2006 If I was a Coach... by Bill Scherr If I were coaching a high school team, I think I would attempt to build something more than just a team... I believe that it might be better to think of building a home. Successfully creating an environment which in reality becomes a home away from home elevates your program to more than just a sport. Capture your athlete's imagination and your program will become a means for them to become better athletes and better people. In short, help them find their place in the world. They will always look back on their experience with you as among the most significant formative influence in their development. Using the analogy of constructing a home allows us to review the important factors to consider in building a successful program. The following elements are key ingredients in developing a team: Build a Strong Foundation All good homes have a strong foundation built on solid ground that allows the rest of the house to stand secure. The foundation of your program will be the values that you instill in your athletes. Hard Work - This is one thing you can control and that is how hard you work. The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Discipline - Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all." - George Washington Fair Play - Statesman Cicero said that ill-gotten gains seldom prosper. Even if you win by cutting corners you really don't win - not in the long run. A perfect example is the many athletes using steroids who have developed serious health concerns later in life. Teach your athletes that there are no shortcuts to winning. Self-Respect - Seventeenth century English scientist John Herschel said that self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue. It certainly is the beginning of training athletes. Teach your athletes to respect their bodies, themselves and others and your are on the way to developing positive, healthy adults. Courtesy - One of the most distasteful displays one can witness is to see an athlete throw a fit when they lose. Worse still is to see a coach or athlete disrespect an official or an opponent. One of the cornerstones of civilization is courtesy. Many would never think of behaving beyond the sports arena as they do during competition. Set a positive example for your athletes and demand courtesy from them. Create a Home that is Greater than the Sum of its Materials... A team is greater than the sum of its members, and no member should be placed above others or treated differently. The members of the team must feel as if they are contributing to something that is bigger than them - something that will exist when they are gone. There can be no rules which may be broken by some. No one person should be an exception because the dynamic of the team will be broken. When members of an organization feel inequality there will be discord and the team and its members will not have the same opportunity to reach full potential. "The strength of the team is each individual member...the strength of each member is the team." - Phil Jackson Each athlete will have a different physical and psychological makeup. Each will require different technical and motivational training. They must be treated and coached individually. However, each must also feel part of the whole and not greater than the whole. Finding the balance between the whold and the individual is difficult but necessary for the coach. "Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - Vince Lombardi Fill Your Home with a Family Everyone is searching for a place to belong. Think of your team as a family rather than a team. A family is bound together by caring and love and discipline. If your athletes feel that they are part of a family they will be more secure in their place within the team and more committed to the team's goals. How do you create a family environment? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mathound 4 Report post Posted September 6, 2006 This is an awesome post... can you cite the source please? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
