Like all programs, at the end of the year or season there usually is a team banquet or awards night. Parents and players gather for an evening of speeches, awards, gifts, and presentations. Players are honoured individually in various categories and receive their awards with big grins as parents snap the moment up with their digital cameras and go home happily to celebrate their selection.
One problem though! Not everybody goes home as happy!
Chances are someone is disappointed in the award selections and the whole season just went down the tubes for them.
Its tough selecting individual awards. Especially after preaching the team concept to your players all season. Do it for the team, take it for the team, the team, the team. Team systems, team play, don't be individuals, play like a team!
You see what I mean?
I'm not a big fan. They are nice and everything, but an individual award seems to go against all the principles that you laid in place all season long. You ask them to play like a team and then reward individuals. It doesn't seem fair!
I'm bad for players sharing awards or awarding the team as the MVP Defence or Offence. I also like to get certificates for players for their team service, kinda honors them for their commitment. Still, not everyone goes home happy but hopefully the majority does which is really the only thing you can hope to accomplish
Cheers
Monday, February 22, 2010
Reading into your Loss
Sometimes you will play very well, work hard and execute your systems with limited mistakes, play tough, out-shoot your opponent and still suffer a loss.
Kinda sounds funny doesn't it. This will happen to you and your team eventually at some point.
Certainly nobody likes to lose a match particularly when your team has for the most part played well ,but it is possible for your team to play well and still come up on the short side of the score.
That's just the way she goes!
The main thing is not to try to read into too much with the loss. Probably the worse thing you can do as a coach is to shake things up at this point. You don't want to send your players the wrong message! Especially if the effort was there and they competed hard within the team system.
Probably the best message to give your team is that losses can happen even if you play hard and play well. The only thing is that nobody said you have to like it and certainly use it as motivation in your next match-up.
Cheers!
Kinda sounds funny doesn't it. This will happen to you and your team eventually at some point.
Certainly nobody likes to lose a match particularly when your team has for the most part played well ,but it is possible for your team to play well and still come up on the short side of the score.
That's just the way she goes!
The main thing is not to try to read into too much with the loss. Probably the worse thing you can do as a coach is to shake things up at this point. You don't want to send your players the wrong message! Especially if the effort was there and they competed hard within the team system.
Probably the best message to give your team is that losses can happen even if you play hard and play well. The only thing is that nobody said you have to like it and certainly use it as motivation in your next match-up.
Cheers!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Benching Your Players
Sooner or later, you'll come to your wits end, after endless reinforcement, after endless practices, after endless conversations, after endless pleading, you'll be forced to bench one of your players. Depending on the age group, the "benching" is a message being sent by you, to the player, to basically "smarten up" and "do your job assignment".
With younger youth players, probably missing a shift would suffice and give them a moment to reflect on your message without disrupting too much. The older players probably need to sit a little longer. The most important thing is that they get the message and they understand the benching. Probably, they already know. But sometimes you need to communicate the reason. Don't make a scene when you do it, quietly inform the player of your decision.
Chances are they already knew it was coming.
The benching time is entirely up to you. Bottom line, be fair, but be firm. They have to get the message! The downside is that they could get emotional and make comments. Ignore them and discuss the comments after the game or before the next practice. For the most part consider the benching like a "time-out". Tell the player to reflect on his responsibilities and assignments. Let them think about it awhile. Then, pat them on the back and send them out to try it again.
That's about all you can do.
Cheers
With younger youth players, probably missing a shift would suffice and give them a moment to reflect on your message without disrupting too much. The older players probably need to sit a little longer. The most important thing is that they get the message and they understand the benching. Probably, they already know. But sometimes you need to communicate the reason. Don't make a scene when you do it, quietly inform the player of your decision.
Chances are they already knew it was coming.
The benching time is entirely up to you. Bottom line, be fair, but be firm. They have to get the message! The downside is that they could get emotional and make comments. Ignore them and discuss the comments after the game or before the next practice. For the most part consider the benching like a "time-out". Tell the player to reflect on his responsibilities and assignments. Let them think about it awhile. Then, pat them on the back and send them out to try it again.
That's about all you can do.
Cheers
Be Cool Under Fire Coach!
Let's face it, we're only human. We can get fired up as easily as our athletes.
One problem though.
When we get ourselves fired up, we tend to get caught up in our emotions, and like our athletes make bad decisions and hurt the team. So as coaches we need to train ourselves to be cool under fire.
We have to be rock solid when we face big challenges, game time decisions, poor officiating, and anything that can throw our team off their game. Our players will look to us for leadership and if we lose it, chances are they will as well.
It's important we are solid!
A good tip would be to discuss with your coaching staff all the possibilities of what could go wrong and how you as a coaching staff will handle it. Play it out before it happens. That way it makes it easier on you when the situations develop and you can make the right call. The point is you've already discussed the scenario from the comforts of your office under no pressure and made the decision. It makes it a lot easier!
Discuss the same possibilities with your players and tell them how you expect them to react.
Play through it or even better coach through it!
Oh yea! Chew lots of gum during the game. It really helps!
Cheers!
One problem though.
When we get ourselves fired up, we tend to get caught up in our emotions, and like our athletes make bad decisions and hurt the team. So as coaches we need to train ourselves to be cool under fire.
We have to be rock solid when we face big challenges, game time decisions, poor officiating, and anything that can throw our team off their game. Our players will look to us for leadership and if we lose it, chances are they will as well.
It's important we are solid!
A good tip would be to discuss with your coaching staff all the possibilities of what could go wrong and how you as a coaching staff will handle it. Play it out before it happens. That way it makes it easier on you when the situations develop and you can make the right call. The point is you've already discussed the scenario from the comforts of your office under no pressure and made the decision. It makes it a lot easier!
Discuss the same possibilities with your players and tell them how you expect them to react.
Play through it or even better coach through it!
Oh yea! Chew lots of gum during the game. It really helps!
Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
