Coach Them With Confidence,
Not Fear!
Have you ever heard a coach after a game say that "his team
just didn't come ready to play".
Are
you thinking, "What, did they forget their pants?"
Of course they had lost and the coach was already thinking of the pep talk he was going to give before the next game.
You've all heard these talks.
"Don't
let these guys 3 and 13 record fool you . . .
This
guy has a really good curve (it doesn't matter if he can't throw it
for strikes) . . .
he
can beat you . . .
yada
yada!
Firing your team up to play the big game is the most counter productive thing a coach can do!!!
They are not playing the other team . . .
they are just playing the ball!!!!!
It doesn't matter if Jonny or little Zachary hits the ground ball; the fielder is going to execute a play that he has done in practice a thousand times. It doesn't matter who throws the pitch, he must throw it through the strike zone and the batter is going to execute a swing to contact it in a particular location just as he has done a thousand times in practice.
It is down right insulting to encourage your team to play the best game of their life to have a chance to win.
They can't play better than they can play and they should realize that their best is good enough to prevail.
Most hitters when facing a hard thrower will try to swing harder to catch up. Look at the muscles in their forearms. Veins will be bulging. This will actually inhibit bat speed! Encourage them to grip the bat lightly and think "quick' bat and they'll rip him.
Give your team the "Big Adrenaline" speech:
When faced with a pressure situation, adrenaline pumps through our bodies. That's the "butterflies" you feel in your stomach.
Adrenaline is the most powerful stimulant known to man.
With it, moms can lift a car off a child.
There are three ways people react to a rush of adrenaline in a pressure situation:
|
1. Fear it and they will choke. 2. Deny it and they will be flat. 3. Embrace it and know that the Big A is just naturally going to make you stronger, faster, and better able to perform! Encourage your players to embrace the rush of competition, play the ball and they will perform the best they possibly can. |
What more can we ask?
A Coaching Suggestion
Do you yell at a kid who has just swung at a bad pitch? Do you publicly berate a player who makes a mental mistake in a game? Do you "show him up"? Do you criticize your team after a loss?
There is a better way.
Take Responsibility for your Players' Mistakes.
Try to
take this direction: (and it's difficult) "If my players don't
perform a skill well or they make a mental mistake,
I
didn't work hard enough on it at practice."
In other words it's my fault. Take the onus off your players and put it on yourself. That's where it belongs.
How many times have you seen an interview in the newspaper where the (amateur) coach says, "We just can't seem to get through a game without kicking it around." Or, "We swung at too many bad pitches." Or, "Our heads just weren't in the game." Or, we didn't play well tonight." These comments are often backhanded slaps at the players.
Wouldn't it be refreshing if the coach would simply say,
"I need to spend more time teaching my players that skill."
Or,
"That loss today was my fault."
Or,
"I got out coached."
Tough ego check.
That , is coaching maturity.
Use appropriate discipline
Make sure that your methods of discipline are for the purpose of developing appropriate behavior, motivation and self discipline in the athlete, rather than to humiliate or harm the athlete. Rigorous training activities as punishment for negative behaviors are more likely to decrease child's interest in physical fitness and training, than to improve negative behaviors.
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