Communication for the athlete in you

This blog is written for the coaches who have the enormous responsibility and privilege of coaching young men and women. My goal in this blog is to start coaches on the right track to building a team attitude with positive coaching and communicating techniques. I believe attitude is the most important part about being an athlete. Your attitude determines how well you perform on and off the field and can make or break a team. As a coach it is very important to realize that the players you coach are all different. The sport they play is one thing they have in common but when they leave the field they all lead very different lives. It is the job of the coach to understand and respect their differences and build team attitude with those differences in mind. It is not easy to develop team attitude because of what each player individually brings to the team. For example, their egos, backgrounds, parents and other social factors all play into the attitude of your players and team. Here are some coaching and communicating strategies that I feel work when trying to build team attitude.

• Leadership starts with the coach. It is extremely important for the coach to be a great leader on and off the field. The coach sets the example for the players to follow. You must walk and talk the way you want your players to walk and talk. For example, if you want your players to have a positive attitude, coach with a positive attitude. The reason this is so important is because the players change every year and so does the leadership within the team. The coach is the one constant, the one person everyone on the team can look up to and know exactly what to expect every time.
• Honesty and accountability. Make sure every player knows exactly where they stand and how important they are to the success of the team. Let them know what you expect out of them and what they can expect out of you.
• Shoot from the hip: consistent and equal treatment for all players. Players have to know what to expect and that they will be treated equal to any other player on the team. What is good for one must be good for all because what is bad for one is bad for all.
• Roles within the team. Every player must know what they can and can’t do. Not every player can carry the football or take the game winning shot. Be direct and positive about defining these roles. For example, you might tell your players, “He is carrying the football because he has the best vision or she is taking the game winning shot because she is the best shooter.“
• Call a spade a spade. If you have a team issue, get it out on the table. Address the problem by speaking what’s on your mind. Do not avoid or sugarcoat a team issue, that will lead to misunderstanding and the problem will get worse.

There is no prefect approach to building team attitude because every player, coach and team is different. But I hope this list of coaching and communicating strategies helps guide you to build a more consistent and comfortable environment for you players to excel. Remember your players cannot excel without an excellent attitude!

by Joe Villapiano

Joe is an assistant Harvard Football coach and Recruiting Coordinator. He also leads iB-LIEVE's team building programs.