Being a coach is difficult in today’s age, especially at the high school level. We only get so much time with our athletes and our kids are constantly being pulled in multiple directions. In order to reach our athletes and our team’s fullest potential, we must utilize the forgotten but incredibly important role of coaching psychology.
Before we cover five ways to use psychology while creating an atmosphere of success, let’s discuss what psychology of coaching is and is not. It is not playing head games with our athletes. Leave the games alone. We need to be intentional and there’s no room for games. It’s not about tricking our kids to believe something in order to get them to do something. Tricking or deceiving erodes trust, and without trust the team will not reach its full potential. Coaching psychology is not just motivational; it’s all about creating an atmosphere of success. It’s difficult to do because of all the distractions kids have today with technology. We compete for their time with other sports. Sadly, coaches and players will ask, “What’s in it for me?” Creating an atmosphere of success is time-consuming and thankless, however if done properly the results are well worth it. Here are five ways to establish a culture of success.
- Develop and implement a Character Education Program. (My e-book on this topic will be available soon.) Through a character education program coaches are able to show, discuss, and model behaviors they want their players to have. This is a great opportunity to teach more than the game you coach; you’re teaching valuable life lessons. What your players are as people should be far more important than what they are as basketball players. Show them this by investing in their future. By having a character education program, you are modeling what behaviors you want and expect, while setting your athletes up for success later in life.