Any individual who has participated in sport at any level has experienced the physical, mental and emotional stimuli that comes with it.
Heart racing, body aching, and gasping for breath, the body reminding you that there’s no quitting now. As the competition comes to a close, it becomes about will pushing one forward to overcome fatigue. You close your eyes, take a deep breath and refocus your mind because it all comes down to this moment. What happens next can be the difference between success and defeat. You find your composure and dig deep. High intensity moments like these are common in the competitive sports arena, but we sometimes forget that these experiences translate into real-world learning opportunities. Athletes – especially student athletes – sometimes fail to see how the benefits of participating in athletics weave into our everyday lives. Situations that unfold between the goal posts, on the ice, or under the net very often mimic the competition-like settings that also challenge us off of the field. These situations can include getting ready to give an important presentation, working tirelessly to balance a hectic work-life situation, or even trying to cut that extra weight around the mid-line. So how do these similar, but contextually different, challenges connect? How does training and competing for sport translate into our everyday lives off the field? To begin with, sports allow individuals to deal with the highs of success and the lows of defeat. Often how someone deals with the disappoint of a loss, or an under performance can help build character. It is human nature to find disappointment to be very unsettling, causing mind to jump in a million different directions, making doubt began to cloud thinking. It can cause individuals to question the time and effort they put into a sport, their job or any other endeavor. Many successful athletes are trained into optimism, so that the mind refuses to dwell on the setbacks. Like in any athletic competition, where you may have dropped that important pass, missed that critical shot, or suffered an unfortunate injury, you accept in life that stuff happens and that tomorrow is another day. The idea of quitting and hanging up the cleats is actually not on the table; getting back on the practice field is the only option. Succumbing to defeat, or to the taboo word of the year FAILURE, is not an option. A simple setback should not stop anyone from looking forward to being in the position to make a difference, of taking that last-second shot as it were. Experiencing those key moments in competition, when everything is on the line, actually helps individuals grow in off-the-field situations. The more someone is able to find composure and success on the playing field in those tipping-point moments, the likelier they may be able to find composure and success off the field when something doesn’t go as planned. Sports is often about delayed gratification or reward. Look at the purest of Olympic athletes for example. They train for 4 years leading up to the biggest stage for their sport, training, making sacrifices, knowing that the pay off will be somewhere down the line. Anyone who only enjoy activities that offer immediate results, then sports will often not male for the best fit. To truly excel in the world of sports, every athlete must be meticulous and consistent in their training in the hopes of experiencing a positive outcome in the future. In most situations, athletes will probably encounter significant pain and struggle before they start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In life, just like when lifting weights, the only way to get stronger is to lift heavier weights and tear some muscles. Only when you push yourself through the pain can new heights be reached. In most situations, we hope that with consistent hard work, we will reach a desired outcome. Yet it is the athletes who are aware of the likelihood of encountering pain and slow progress in the short term when chasing a dream. As an athlete, you learn that it takes time to see real results. The only way to get there is to embrace the longer time-frame and to adopt an unwavering work ethic. One of the biggest benefits of sport and an area that I think might have the biggest level of empowerment for youth, is the notion of teamwork. Whether in a team sport like soccer or an individual sport like track and field, the individuals that are around any athlete are often the biggest determinant of success. Most importantly, sometimes to be successful in sport, it requires individuals who might not be of like mind, who might not have any other connection but their involvement is this specific sport, to find a way to work together. In individual sports, it’s training partners who will push in training sessions each day to make an athlete be better than they were the day before. In team sports, it’s the teammates who each play an important role in creating a strategy that allows the group as a whole to reach maximum results on game day. Teamwork is also about individuals having roles that best meet their skill set. Not everyone can do everything and accepting this fact is often the first and sometimes most important step towards success with any group. Both situations require that the individual utilize others to grow within their respective roles. Each person plays an important role in driving their own growth, as well as that of every other member of their team. The teamwork built through sport translates into successful team dynamics and leadership off of the field. Athletes understand the necessity of working together and realize that a greater impact can be achieved as a collective, rather than working only independently or in isolation. The connection between practice and competition is best characterized as a love-hate relationship. The practice is an athlete’s homework, while the competition is their test. Competition offers athletes an objective moment of self-realization, standing as an “I told you so” that underscores what has or has not been built through practice. When the sweat and blood transform into winning, it’s much easier to appreciate those long hours of dedication. However, it’s often the daily grind that happens behind the scenes – once the athlete steps off the winner’s podium and gets back to work – that goes unrecognized. When it comes down to it, the only person who truly cares and understands about what is happening during practice, is the individual. No one cares how man three-point shots are made or goals are scored in practice if it doesn’t transfer into the game. Similarly, in the real world, no one cares how much hard you work is put into a project if it doesn't produce results. Bosses aren’t always concerned when an employee up all night working on the presentation; they will judge the work only by what is presented. Did it blow the client away or did it flounder it the midst of pressure? The point is that, athletes are forced to come to terms with this reality at an early stage. Supporters won’t be concerned by how much or little training is happening, whether the athlete is eating fast-food or not taking care of your body, but they certainly won’t be impressed when athletes arrive unprepared for competition. The results or the endgame are usually what people evaluate, not the process. As athletes move up the competitive ladder from amateur to professional athletics, the mind becomes the most important muscle that must be trained. In university and in the pros, everyone trains at a high-intensity. Everyone commits equal time to in the weight room and the practice fields, hoping to maximize their athletic potential. So the questions is worth asking," if everyone trainis the same, puts in the time, then why is it that competition results vary so greatly on game day?” The true champions are the ones who are able to find the warrior mindset before the gun even goes off; the ones who envisioned themselves crossing the finish line first. If persistent training and incredible hard work build the base for success, it is the competitive mindset that uncovers the athletes who are winners. Sports at most levels teach about the work - life balance. Anyone who has played any type of athletics during the academic season, can understand the work-life balance of juggling when it comes to improving as an athlete, keeping up grades, and maybe having a bit of a social life. Don't forget, sleep and eating are also part of any persons needs? ! As student athletes, learning to manage time effectively is quite beneficial. Everyone has different strategies to overcome procrastination and ways of re-ordering their lives to make sure they can complete important tasks, foster close relationships, and enjoy personal time. It’s generally easier in school, even though while you’re in it you think otherwise, to manage work-life balance. As people move into adulthood, start a family, a career etc that balance can be even more so difficult to manage. Working to find ways to master this juggling act early is as much as skill set as anything else that can help save much needed time and frustration. Finally, sports provide skills that allow leadership and building connections to come naturally to great athletes and student-athletes of any age. Athletics has a way of bridging communities, overlooking differences and getting everyone working together for a shared vision. Sports teach individuals to consider the well-being of the team over their own success. Maybe that’s why for centuries sports have been used as a vehicle to bring communities together from all walks of life. I won't say that sports are essential to someone being highly successful, there are too many examples which would prove any statement of that nature false. However sports for the reasons above, for the benefits on health and well being and for the pure joy of participating, are definitely a tool that can help our youth to be empowered and well rounded, especially in our times of techno-dependency.
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IAt all levels of sport, participants and observers alike will point to the importance of team building or the relationship between the members of a group and how it can impact results. How often do we hear about the "atmosphere in the locker room" from the media who cover pro sports teams.
Is the team environment and culture really that significant a factor on results? If you simply were able to put together the best talented group of athletes would this not simply ensure positive results regardless of how they might get along ? From experience, I would say that sometimes it's a vicious circle. The chemistry and environment around a team do impact results, however the opposite is also true. Results can affect the experience shared by members of a team and how they interact. Winning can gloss over and hide dysfunction within a group, a coach can stand behind his or her decisions even bad ones simple by pointing to the results saying " we must be doing something right, we continue to win". By the same token, negative results or a losing record can put a spotlight on the negatives around a team and make all the adverse situations seem much worse as coaches and athletes look to reasons to explain the results. People will point figures and lay blame. So how does a team culture fit into the discussion about a high performing sports environment ? Some sports are ready-made for a discussion about the influence of team culture on individual and team performance. Team sports, such as basketball, football, and soccer, require that time and energy be devoted to building a culture that will lead to success. Without this discussion, the chances of a team being successful are small. Individual sports, however, often don’t give much attention to team culture despite the fact that most individual sports are built around a team structure, for example, track and field, ski racing, and tennis. The fact is that, for individual sports, the influence that individual athletes can have on a team, whether healthy or toxic, is just as important as in true team sports. Nor do we often think about how an individual sports team can have a significant effect on the performances of its individual members. Yet, have you ever been on a “downer” team? I’m talking about one that is permeated with negativity, unhealthy competition, and conflict. It sure doesn’t feel good and it can definitely interfere with your performing your best. Whether you are an athlete on a team or one of its coaches, you can have a big impact on how your team gets along, functions, and performs. As a coach, it is great to focus on teaching the skill set required in a particular sport, or preaching about tactics and games plans, but if you ignore the issue of team environment or culture, sooner or later it catches up with you. The reality is that thee is no one size fits all approach to dealing with team building. It is very dependent on the same factors that determine how you might plan out your coaching strategy, age, level of competition, gender, and the specific traits both athletic and personality of your team members. If you as a coach are not comfortable or feel qualified to handle this aspect, as you might with other areas when selecting assistant coaches, find someone whose skill set might include a certain level of expertise and comfort with this particular part. While I am heavily invested in coaching, it remains a part time job for me but I am able to pull from my professional experiences in the corporate world that I have faced during my career path from employee to manager to senior manager. There are many similarities between coaching a team and managing in the work place. So, in applying these concepts to sports programs, let’s start with an understanding of what a team culture is and why it is of essential value. A culture is the expression of a team’s values, attitudes, and beliefs about sports and competition. It determines whether, for example, the team’s focus is on fun, mastery, or winning or whether it promotes individual accomplishment or team success. The culture is grounded in an identified sense of mission and shared goals, for instance, the goal of qualifying for a regional championships or winning a state title. Individual sports teams are complicated a bit by the fact that they aren’t really team sports. Unlike true team sports such as basketball or football, the success of one athlete isn’t dependent on how his or her teammates perform. Yet, I’m sure that you would agree that the culture of a team, whether healthy or unhealthy, has a real impact on its individual athletes. For example, a team that is in constant conflict or has a negative atmosphere will bring team members, athletes and coaches alike, down and this unpleasant atmosphere will also hurt individual athletes’ performances. Conversely, a team culture built on positive energy, support, and fun will lift everyone up, feel comfortable and supportive, and the results will show it. The culture creates norms of acceptable behavior on a team, either explicitly or implicitly conveying to members what is allowed and what is not. These norms can dictate to team members how to behave, communicate, cooperate, and deal with conflict. When clear norms are established, everyone on a team is more likely to abide by them. Very importantly, the culture creates the atmosphere that permeates every aspect of a team’s experience. Is the atmosphere relaxed or intense? Light-hearted or competitive? Supportive or competitive? All of these qualities of a culture have real implications for how the team functions, how its members get along, and, crucially, how the athletes on the team perform and the results they get. When a team has a defined culture that is understood by all of its members, they feel an implicit pressure (in the good sense) to support that culture. So how does a team culture develop ? Does it have to be imposed or does it develop ? Coaches can allow the culture of their team to develop in one of two ways. First, it can emerge naturally as an expression of its individual members. The benefits to this “organic” approach is that team members feel a sense of ownership for the culture because they created it. But there is a risk that the creation of the team be unfairly shaped by one or a few team members who may be particularly assertive or controlling, leaving other members of the team feeling marginalized and powerless. And a real danger can arise when the team culture is hijacked by a small subset of the team who are more interested in exerting their own power over the team, however unhealthy it might be. The result can be a truly toxic culture that serves neither the best interests of the team as a whole or its individual members. The second approach, and the one that I recommend, is for coaches to take an active (though not dominating) role in the creation of a team culture. Through your leadership and open discussions with team members, your team can identify the values, attitudes, and beliefs that you and your athletes want to act as the foundation of the team culture. You can also discuss what all of you feel is important in terms of the atmosphere you want to create, the expectations the team has about their behavior, and the way in which team members communicate. This collaborative approach to team culture will ensure that members feel a sense of ownership for the culture and, as a result, are more likely to live by its dictates. In addition to the over-all culture that a coaching staff fosters to best serve the goals of the entire team and the needs of all of its athletes, sub training groups for example based on position groups (e.g., football lineman or receivers) within the larger team can also create their own cultures. These training-group cultures better reflect the individual personalities of their coaches and athletes and the unique goals that they are pursuing. These subcultures also allow athletes who may be unable to take a leadership role in the team as a whole to exert influence within their group. So when you want to get started, I would suggest trying the following simple steps; sit down with the rest of the coaching staff and your athletes to discuss the kind of culture your team wants to have. You should ask the following questions (and any others that you think relevant). Training groups can ask the same questions:
So is a team culture essential to team success? In the short term, maybe not, but like anything else we do in life, when there is a positive environment around any group we are a part of, it is more rewarding and more motivating to "come to work each day". As I have often signed off, just my opinion but hopefully some might find it helpful. |
AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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