The article was provided by Coaches Network

By Dr. David Hoch, CMAA, CIC

To bolster their professional development, coaches have long attended clinics and conferences, read books, viewed videos, and taken classes. All of these methods are excellent, beneficial, and should be used. But there’s one more avenue for improving your coaching that is right under your nose—learning from peers in your own school.

Even though someone may coach another sport, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to learn a great deal from this person. Obviously you won’t pick up exact drills to improve sport-specific skills and strategy, but there are many other aspects of coaching that you can discuss. And the best part is that these individuals are right there in your building!

What can you learn from good, experienced coaches in your school regardless of the sport that they coach? Here are a few things:

Practice planning. While you might know the skills and strategies involved in your sport, perhaps your practice sessions could be a little more organized. An experienced coach can provide ideas for the placement of the various segments and drills during a practice session, how much time should be allotted, and understanding the concept of scheduling a hard drill followed by an easier one to help with recovery.

Communicating with parents. Nothing is more critical and perhaps more difficult for many coaches than effectively communicating with parents. Seek out coaches at your school who do this well and ask them for advice. How do they keep parents well-informed? How do they deter parent complaints? How do they get parent buy-in? How do they deal with a very difficult parent?

Working with the media. Making off-the-cuff comments, using inappropriate language, or making emotional statements after a game can cause major problems. Guidance and help from experienced coaches can be invaluable to avoid these missteps.

Being tough but supportive. To be an effective coach, it is important to understand young people and to treat them with respect, care, and compassion. Good coaches are positive, encouraging, and nurturing. It can be extremely helpful to attend practice sessions of exemplary coaches and watch how they can be both demanding and supportive during the course of the same practice session. Outstanding coaches place the growth and development of their athletes at the top of their priorities, and you can learn this through observation.

Motivating athletes. It is also important to understand that members of your team are all unique and respond differently to motivational efforts. To get the most out of each team member, you can’t use one, cookie-cutter approach. Experienced coaches can share new and different techniques that work to reach a diverse group of individuals.

Work-life balance. Coaching is demanding and can be totally consuming, which means you may have to work extremely hard to maintain a good family life. Ideas and suggestions from others can be invaluable and may end up extending your coaching lifespan.

 

David Hoch retired in 2010 after a 41-year career as a high school athletic director and coach.  In 2009, Dr. Hoch was honored as the Eastern District Athletic Director of the Year by the Nastional Association for Sport and Physical Education.  He was also presented with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award, and in 2000 he was named the Maryland State Athletic Director Association’s Athletic Director of the Year.  Dr. Hoch has authored over 460 professional articles and made more than 70 presentations around the country.

this article was written by Stephanie Zonars. You can follow her on Twitter @StephanieZonars

A team can’t develop healthy team cohesion if the leadership team (i.e. coaching staff) isn’t cohesive. [Tweet That!]

Seems logical, yet somehow coaches believe they can still build a unified team despite distrust and other fractures among the staff.

Won’t happen. Can’t happen.

Patrick Lencioni’s The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business reviews some of the key points of his other best seller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. 

Namely, that the core issue on dysfunctional teams is a lack of trust.

That’s so obvious that you’d think leadership teams and coaching staffs would be pretty good at building trust. Yet, more than often, they aren’t.

In The Advantage, Lencioni says it may be because they have a misunderstanding of the kind of trust needed on teams:

Many people think of trust in a predictive sense; if you can come to know how a person will behave in a given situation, you can trust her….The kind of trust that is necessary to build a great team is what I call vulnerability-based trust. This is what happens when members get to a point where they are completely comfortable being transparent, honest and naked with one another, where they say and genuinely mean things like “I screwed up,” “I need help,” “Your idea is better than mine,” “I wish I could learn to do that as well as you do,” and even, “I’m sorry.” (p.27)

I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve watched vulnerability completely change a team dynamic. One person willing to “go there” gives everyone else permission to open up a little more.

Compassion and empathy develops, resulting in a stronger ability to trust.

I worked with a business team on which many of the individuals had worked together for a number of years. It seemed like they knew one another well and genuinely liked one another. I was a little nervous that my trust-building exercises might fall flat.

What happened blew my mind!

During one of the exercises an individual shared a hardship she was going through. Her co-workers had no idea—even someone who had gone through something similar.

Through tears deeper connections developed that took their team to a new level of trust.

One 15-20 minute exercise Lencioni uses can give your team the opportunity to develop that kind of vulnerability-based trust.

At your next coaching staff meeting, have each person share three things*:

• where they were born
• how many siblings they have and where they fall in the order of children
• the most interesting or difficult challenge they faced as a kid

This simple exercise helps individuals feel more comfortable being vulnerable in the group and develops a new level of understanding, admiration and respect.

Even if you are rolling your eyes right now, and think you know a lot about your staff team, give it a try. It never disappoints!

Then shoot me an email to let me know what happened.

 

*I recommend having the leader go first.

Change Your Coaching Staff Dynamic (in 20 minutes) appeared first on Life Beyond Sport.

About Stephanie Zonars

Stephanie Zonars helps coaches build and maintain winning team cultures through her business, Life Beyond Sport. Teams at Penn State, Notre Dame, West Point and over 60 other schools have built stronger trust, communication and teamwork through her workshops. Stephanie spent three years on staff with the Penn State women’s basketball team, assisting the team to back-to-back Big Ten Championships. She’s also the author of three books. For more tips on leadership and team culture, visit LifeBeyondSport

This article was provided by Coaches Network

Sports provide countless learning opportunities for athletes and coaches alike. Looking back on over two decades of coaching experience, John O’Sullivan realized that his close-minded approach kept him and his players from reaching their full potential. In order to help today’s coaches recognize the areas where they can improve, he provided a list of eight mistakes he made and what to learn from each in an article on changingthegameproject.com.

1. I Focused on Outcomes (Instead of Learning):
It’s easy for coaches to become wrapped up in results. Athletes are often critiqued based on the outcome of the game or match, and not on how well they actually performed. Instead, coaches should focus on opportunities to learn rather than win. Every practice and competition provides a chance for athletes to learn from mistakes and grow.

2. I Focused on Being Serious (Instead of Enjoyment):
When expectations for success are high, enjoying the moment can often become secondary. This becomes an important issue in sports because athletes are more likely to develop and stay engaged if they are enjoying themselves. Therefore, coaches should try to balance their approach. “Coaches can focus on enjoyment and be demanding at the same time,” O’Sullivan writes.

3. I Tried to Inspire by Demeaning (Instead of Being Demanding):
There is a fine line between being demanding and being demeaning. It may seem like pushing an athletes buttons with sarcasm or demeaning comments might motive them to perform. But this approach can actually do more harm than good. A successful coach will demand more out of athletes and inspire them to keep getting better, rather than trying to embarrass or humiliate them.

4. I Took Credit for the Good and Blamed Others for the Bad (Instead of the Opposite):
After a loss, coaches start assessing what went wrong. This is a potentially pivotal moment of self-reflection that makes teams and individual athletes better in the future. It is just as important for a coach to be self-critical as it is for an athlete. Though it might be easy to say poor effort, poor focus, and poor execution were the reasons for losing, a coach should consider their own role before blaming others. “When you blame an athlete for a mistake, he or she will likely blame another, and the blame cascades down until no one takes responsibility. But if you take ownership, your athletes will as well,” O’ Sullivan writes.

5. I Did Lots of Talking (Instead of Listening):
It’s only natural for coaches to do a lot of talking. From organizing, to providing instruction, to motivating athletes, there are a lot of reasons for coaches to be constantly talking. But people only improve when they listen. Young athletes need direction, but too much lecturing can cause them to lose interest. Instead of thinking you have all the answers, allow yourself to listen and learn from those around you.

6. I Acted Like a General (Instead of a Teacher):
Athletes are able to reach their full potential after they accept responsibility over their own development. When coaches are trying to control every situation by providing constant instruction, an athlete’s ability to grow is inhibited. Especially during competition, try to act as a guide and mentor by focusing on the learning process. When a coach acts like a general, things might run smoother in the moment but lessons will not be carried into the future.

7. I Used Fear as a Motivator (Instead of Love):
Threatening athletes with the prospect of sprints or a grueling may seem like enough to inspire a great performance, but there are better ways. When an athlete loves and respect their teammates and coaches, they’re much more likely to do all they can to make everyone successful. Building this type of culture should be a point of focus for any coach. “Nothing is more powerful than a bond of love and respect among teammates, coaches and parents working together. No team will fight harder than that team. No athlete will play harder for a coach then one who feels cared for and loved,” O’Sullivan writes.

8. I Knew it All (Instead of being Humble):
There is always more to learn. Coaches can often be stuck in their own philosophy and approach, but that type of stubbornness will hold you back more than propel you forward. Take advantage of the knowledge that other coaches have to offer, never stop asking questions, and don’t be afraid of change. “You can admit when you are wrong. Athletes will forgive you, and better yet, are far more likely to go all in for you and their team if they know mistakes are OK, because even the coach makes them,” O’Sullivan writes.

Click here to read the full article.

This article was provided by Coaches Network

By Dr. Wade Gilbert

Coaches are never more cliché in their descriptions than when talking about their competition schedule. Some of the common ways coaches approach competition include the standard “We must play them one game at a time,” (as if there was any other option), to a slight variation of same theme “We can’t get caught looking ahead,” (nor, as the late Satchell Paige warned, should we look behind), to the old standby “Every game is a big game.”

But we all know that while such assertions are well-intended, they are also untrue. Some games do matter more.

Every season coaches must prepare for such special games, whether they are the annual rivalry game, an elimination playoff match, or a championship final. Anyone who has played or coached knows that emotions run higher than normal for big games. Some coaches will admit to preparing more intently and being a little more jacked up for such competitions, because almost certainly their athletes are. Yet others will attempt to deny the reality and claim that “we’ll treat it like any other game.” And among those, on the extreme high end of the scale, are the coaches who treat – and insist that their athletes treat – every contest like it’s the most important they’ve ever played.

Count U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team head coach Karch Kiraly among that latter group. I vividly recall Karch insisting that his team, which had just won their first ever world championship, approached every match like it was the ultimate match. So when it came time to actually play in the biggest game, he said “We had already played over 100 world championship finals leading up to that game.” This is the same approach used by coaches of the world’s most successful sports team, the New Zealand All Blacks. For them, every game is a big game.

Some big games do require special treatment by coaches simply because the circumstance – and the potential pressure associated with it – is so unique. When legendary high school football coach, Bob Ladouceur, prepared his squad for what would be a national record 73rd consecutive win for De La Salle, he and his coaching staff discussed the streak in terms never spoke of in the 72 games leading up to the potential record breaking game. There was no denying that the 73rd game brought a different level of pressure and arousal. Leading up to the big game the coaching staff discussed the streak in terms of a collective accomplishment, not only by the current athletes, but of all those who contributed to it before them. In that way, he diffused the pressure on any individual player and shone the light on the De La Salle football legacy rather than any athletes on the team who might be seeking personal glory. By the way, Ladouceur’s Spartans would go on to win many more big games, running the record winning streak to an amazing 151 games from 1992-2004.

Treat every game the same or prepare and coach a little different for special games? Which approach works best? The answer lies in understanding what your athletes need to help them perform at their peak on any given day. How athletes approach a big game is largely influenced by three factors: their belief in their ability to meet the challenge, how well they have been taught skills for coping with big game pressures, and their trust in the game-plan.

There is much truth in the old saying ‘success breeds success.’ With the right preparation, athletes should play like they expect to win every competition. For coaches this means making sure athletes experience ‘wins’ in practices even when the wins aren’t coming in games. Every practice should include competitive challenges that are just beyond athletes’ current ability but are realistically attainable with full effort and focus. Successfully completing these challenges builds confidence and resilience, particularly if it takes the athletes a few practices to meet the challenge. This approach works as long as the coach provides support and encouragement along the way, otherwise athletes may get discouraged and come to accept failure.

It also means setting a variety of achievement goals for competitions, such as number of shots on net in soccer, yards of offense in football, or free-throw shooting percentage in basketball. Win or lose, athletes can still experience success when they achieve some of their competition goals. These small ‘wins’ keep athletes focused and builds the self-confidence needed to believe they can succeed when the big game arrives.

Successful coaches put their athletes in a position to win big games by using other proven strategies such as:

– Sharing stories of past success and athletes’ proven ability to overcome tough challenges, either that the athletes themselves have experienced or examples from others who have faced similar big competition moments. Hearing stories from others who have embraced and passed their big game test helps calm nerves and builds confidence that achieving big game success is possible.

– Reminding athletes about strategies they have been taught for finding their pre-game individual zone of optimal functioning, such as deep-belly breathing, imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, and positive self-talk (see resources listed at the end of this commentary for detailed guidance on how to teach these competition readiness strategies). Successful coaches don’t wait for big games to try or teach these valuable pre-competition readiness skills to their athletes.

– Preparing detailed game-plans based on deep knowledge of your opponent and what it will take to win the event. Knowledge of all the little details that are crucial for winning the big game builds athlete confidence because it equips them with a trusted plan for beating a tough opponent. Attention to the smallest of details leads to what is often referred to as ‘marginal gains’ or the 1% difference. Detailed game-plans that include strategies for gaining a collection of 1% differences give your athletes and teams the competitive edge they need to pull-off big game wins.

– Successful coaches also prepare contingency plans for responding to critical moments that may occur in big games, such as what to do if your team comes out flat, how to finish a close game or race when leading, or what tactical adjustments to make if losing late in the game so you can make a final push to overcome the deficit. A coach’s ability to make the right tactical adjustments in big games also depends on the coach’s knowledge of potential momentum triggers. The more a coach studies the tendencies of their own team – and those of their big game opponent – the better they will be at noticing and quickly responding to momentum triggers.

One of most memorable examples of how a coach used these types of strategies to help lead teams to big game success is three-time Super Bowl winning coach Tom Coughlan and his 2007 championship team. Heading into Super Bowl XLII against the record-setting 18-0 New England Patriots, coach Coughlan relied heavily on lessons learned from a close defeat to the Patriots just a few week earlier in the regular season. He used that game as an example to show his athletes that the Patriots were indeed beatable if they executed the meticulously prepared game-plan and trusted the pre-competition routines they used all season long.

The ability to coach athletes to perform at their peak in big games will be determined by how well you teach your athletes to cope with the inevitable self-doubts and momentum swings that occur in tough competitions. Success in big games has much to do with building athletes’ skills and confidence prior to when they are played, along with detailed game-plans based on the team’s strengths and the scout of your opponent. Championship coaches know that this approach is the surest way to earn the right to win when the big game arrives.

This article first appeared on CoachesNetwork.com

By Dr. David Hoch, CMAA, CIC

As the head coach, you are in charge of your program, and it’s your job to manage your assistant coaches. If your team were a business, you would be the CEO, responsible for overseeing and mentoring your employees. When a CEO fails to provide instruction, feedback, and encouragement, his or her employees can’t do their jobs well. And when a head coach doesn’t provide that same kind of leadership, his or her assistant coaches can’t thrive, either.

Your role as CEO starts before the season begins. Before the first practice happens, develop clear expectations for your assistants and make sure they know what those expectations are. It’s helpful if you put your expectations into writing in the form of a job description. It is also beneficial to provide your assistants with a written description of your coaching philosophy and your plan for the season. Meet prior to the start of the season to give them these documents and talk them over.

Once the season has begun and things get busy—between practice sessions, scouting, and games—you may struggle to find the time to continue to mentor those under you. The following are some suggestions on how to fit in the important job of managing your assistants.

Take 10. After each practice or game, meet for 10 minutes to review responsibilities and quickly outline what is on deck for tomorrow. If there was an oversight or mistake made during a practice or game, correct it immediately so it won’t be repeated. In these brief meetings, it is vital that you communicate in a quick, concise manner while still covering what needs to be corrected. (And don’t forget, while you are meeting, the locker room still has to be supervised!)

Hold longer weekly meetings. Schedule a staff meeting once a week for 20 to 30 minutes, perhaps on Saturday after practice. During this session, focus on the upcoming schedule and the responsibilities for the next week. Even though you probably created a season-long schedule, you want to remind everyone and cover any changes or concerns. It is much better to be proactive than to have someone miss an assignment and create a potential problem.

Meet individually. Sit down with individual assistant coaches in private for one-on-one meetings to provide help with issues or to give pep talks as needed. Reassure, teach, correct, and guide in a non-threatening and supportive manner.

Send them out prepared. Meet with your assistants prior to sending them out on their first scouting assignment. Clearly explain how to approach the task of scouting. Provide hints about what to watch for so that the information they gather will be helpful when you prepare for practice sessions and make a game plan.

Get them game-ready. Explain what the assistants will be responsible for during a game. One might be in charge of charting the offense or defense and another may keep track of time outs, substitutions, individual and team fouls, or other items pertaining to your sport. Whatever your assistants’ assignments are, take the time to explain them well in advance so they can be totally prepared.

Utilize bus rides. On return bus trips, review why you made key changes during the game and ask for input and suggestions. You will need to continue to supervise your athletes while you talk, but this can be a great chance for your assistants to contribute, and they can use this opportunity to ask you questions.

Talk electronically. Encourage your assistants to e-mail or text you when they have a question or problem. Good, effective communication goes a long way toward preventing mistakes.

Show your gratitude. Don’t forget to thank and praise an assistant for a job well done, either in practice, with scouting, or during a game. Being appreciated is important to everyone and creates good working relationships, loyalty, and dependability.

Managing your assistant coaches takes thought, planning, and effort—especially once the season is in full swing— but it pays big dividends. The better job you do, the smoother things will go and the more your assistants will grow and develop. So embrace your role as CEO and look for ways to provide your assistants with excellent leadership

 

David Hoch retired in 2010 after a 41-year career as a high school athletic director and coach.  In 2009, Dr. Hoch was honored as the Eastern District Athletic Director of the Year by the Nastional Association for Sport and Physical Education.  He was also presented with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award, and in 2000 he was named the Maryland State Athletic Director Association’s Athletic Director of the Year.  Dr. Hoch has authored over 460 professional articles and made more than 70 presentations around the country.