Practical Ways to Build Team Cohesion
“A positive, united team is a powerful team. It does not happen by accident.” - Jon Gordon One of my favourite Theodore Roosevelt quotes is, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Simply put, when it comes to coaching: connect before you correct. Whether your players listen to you consistently or not, whether they have bought into your culture and systems or not, whether they are super talented or not - I can almost guarantee that you will get more from your current players if you invest some time outside of practice getting to know who they are as people. Your team will not develop superior trust, communication, teamwork, resilience, vulnerability, and grit by accident. To go from a team that just shows up when necessary, to a team that can count on each other on and off the court is a special transformation that can work wonders. Team bonding does not have to be expensive, time consuming or stressful. Here are a few options to think about:
I’ve won games, tournaments and championships, but some of my fondest memories as an athlete have nothing to with those. The teammates and coaches that have meant the most to me are the ones that showed me I was more than just a basketball player to them. As coaches we are not only developing athletes, but developing the next generation of leaders. And don’t fool yourself into thinking that team building is a waste of valuable on court basketball time...to leave you with another Jon Gordon quote, “Team beats talent when talent isn’t a team.” This post was written by Right Way coach, Clare Murphy, who is currently completing her Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Ottawa while also serving as an assistant coach the Women's Varsity Basketball Team.
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3 Ways to Re-frame Setbacks in Sport
“I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.”- Bruce Lee When it comes to successfully dealing with adversity, injury or failure, the first thing I’d like to express is that these things are all relative. What one person considers as a failure or adversity, another person might not. I am by no means an expert on these topics, and much of what I will share in this post is based on my personal experience with leg injuries that I have encountered in the past 5 years. While I have dealt with some significant injuries that have required reconstructive surgeries, my path still looks like a walk in the park compared to others who have dealt with more significant adversity. This leads me to my first point. 1. Don’t be a victim. Instead consider that adversity can actually be a good thing. When bad things happen (losing a basketball game, getting hurt, etc) sometimes these things are out of our control. Sometimes they aren’t. In my experience, it’s usually it’s a mix of both. It doesn’t hurt to reflect on the things we may have done (or not done) that could have contributed to our shortcomings. Once we identify what those variables are, we can take responsibility for them. Once we take responsibility for them, we can start taking the necessary actions to make sure we don’t continue to make those same mistakes in the future. 2. Use past setbacks as motivation. While it’s probably valuable to reflect on our failures, I don’t think it’s beneficial to replay them in our heads over and over again, beating ourselves up over the mistakes we made. “I should have hit that foul shot.” “I shouldn’t have called that play at the end of the game.” “I should’ve followed that weight training program.” It’s only really a mistake if we do the wrong thing a second time after we know it’s wrong, so don’t crush yourself with guilt. Use the past pain you experienced to propel you forward to create a different outcome in the future. 3. Fail on purpose. Well, don't purposely fail but the more we can expose ourselves to adversity, the better we become at handling it. A good way we can use this to our advantage is by voluntarily putting ourselves in situations where we will face adversity and situations where failure is a probability. That could mean practicing with players who are older and stronger than we are. It could mean setting high standards for ourselves when we are practicing alone. For example, setting a goal of making 40 out of 50 three-point shots and not leaving the gym until it’s done. It could mean pushing ourselves to failure in the weight room, so our body is better equipped to handle physical stress on the court. By exposing ourselves to adverse conditions today, tough situations we face in the future may seem easier by comparison. So don’t be afraid to fail, and be thankful for the adversity in your life. It can only make you stronger. This post was written by Right Way coach, Sean Stoqua, who currently plays for the University of Ottawa Gee Gees Men's Varsity Basketball Team and is currently completing his Master's in Physiotherapy Degree. 4 Things Coaches Can Learn From Teachers
When I started coaching I still had a player’s mindset. I knew how to play and could demonstrate skills, but I soon realized my players needed more from me. If my team was going to reach their potential, I was going to have to expand my perspective so I could explain the game in a way they would understand. And this is where I think I have lucked out: beyond the coaching education I have completed, I am currently enrolled in the Teacher Education program at the University of Ottawa. I would say it is common knowledge that being a teacher and a coach is a natural combination, but I do not think everyone realizes how transferable many of the skills are between the two positions. I feel confident saying that my coaching experience has made me a better teacher, but I would like to share how being trained as an educator has helped with my development as a coach. Coaches, here are a few current educational concepts you can try to elevate your “basketball classroom” to the next level: 1. (Teacher) Consider Your Learner’s Developmental Stage = (Coach) Familiarize Yourself with the LTAD Model Who are you coaching? How you interact with a bunch of 14 year olds going through growth spurts and mood swings will be quite different than a team full of energetic 9 year olds who do not know how to control their own bodies. Not only do teachers need to know the curriculum for their grade, they have to be aware of the social, emotional and physical stage their students are in to best engage their class. Now, I am not suggesting that all coaches take a course in Child Development, but the Long-Term Athlete Development Model is a fantastic resource that every coach should absolutely read. From windows of optimal training for speed and strength to which sport specific skills should be introduced at each age level, Canada Basketball’s Athlete Development Model will help you understand, and therefore serve your athletes better. 2. (Teacher) Flip The Classroom = (Coach) Develop A Player-Led Team The current message for teachers-in-training is that they should limit their “front-of-class” talking time because students become more engaged in lessons when they have a larger role in the learning. While teachers might do this by including more hands-on activities, coaches can similarly cut down on their speaking time in practice. I know it can be tough to give up reigns sometimes, but try allowing for some controlled chaos in your practices. Seeing how your players organize a new drill without explaining all the details will provide some fantastic teachable moments. If you want to take it a step further, next time a practice is not going according to plan ask your players what they think they need to work on, why they think a drill is going poorly or how they think they could improve their next rep. I have been amazed at the improvements made by students and players when they start thinking for themselves. 3. (Teacher) Differentiate Lesson Plans = (Coach) Scale/Load Drills Another similarity between teaching and coaching is that one size does not fit all students or athletes. If you want to be a great coach, you can not treat every player the same. The goal is equity (giving everyone what they need to be successful), not equality (giving everyone the same thing). One of the biggest challenges, whether leading a classroom or a team, is dealing with the fact that you have individuals at various skill levels. You may have a drill in mind for practice, but the question is how will you alter it to suit your players’ needs. And let me tell you: it is completely fine to have some of your team going through a scaled version, while some others work on a loaded version. Ideally you will hit that sweet spot where every athlete is feeling confident and challenged at the same time. These separated skill development times can be balanced by other drills where players of different abilities are working together to improve the team as a whole. In the “mixed-ability groups” you can even challenge your stronger players to be leaders by helping their teammates get to the next level through reminders and encouragement. 4. (Teacher) Build Relationships = (Coach) Build Relationships If you are only able to implement one suggestion, let it be this one. Get to know your athletes - what motivates them, how do they learn best, what is going on in their lives outside of the gym. It is amazing what students/athletes can accomplish when they feel seen and respected. Find common ground to connect with them on, be a role model and show some vulnerability so they know it is okay to do the same. Everyone’s basketball career will end at some point, so you may want to ask yourself a question. What are you leaving your players with that will stick with them for life? Many have said it before and I will say it again: people may forget what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel! This post was written by Right Way coach, Clare Murphy, who is currently completing her Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Ottawa while also serving as an assistant coach the Women's Varsity Basketball Team. |