Teamwork Motivation Training can be a real asset to your program as it addresses issues coaches know are crucial to success in athletics, yet often overlooked. Spending time teaching skills related to each sport and conditioning your athletes can easily eat up virtually all the time available in the practice setting. My greatest passion may be to change athlete's perception of practice itself... getting them to come to practice on a mission. When they know where they are at with their skills, conditioning and performance and understand what the "next level" is, they take greater ownership of their own abilities. This obviously has a great deal to do with the "process" component of goal setting, which is often entirely neglected. Some of the mental illustrations I create can make a huge impact. The mind often makes more mistakes than the body. Most Sports Psychologists would say that you can not out perform what you can visualize in your head. Teamwork is a buzz word even in the corporate world, but creating an environment that can relay the essential components of it takes thought and strategy. The feedback from athletes, coaches and parents has been very positive. Having someone else challenge your athletes sends a powerful message about the importance of issues not entirely within the realm of their physical abilities and conditioning.
The training format utilizes a series of fun, challenging, and entertaining activities which allow participants to experience the concepts that relate to them individually and as a team. My role as a facilitator is to follow up activities with brief discussions about how what they learned and experienced applies to them. Because they participate in the message, they are going to have a blast, remember it, and most importantly, make applications to the prepararion phase and performance as athletes. Experience is the foundation of effective learning. Experience in itself is worth a thousand words. It is hands on learning with unlimited potential. When I plan a training agenda, I take in to account objectives of the coaches, and the concerns or issues regarding the their individual athletes and the team. I'm often asked to touch on teambuilding, confidence, goal setting, dealing with frustration, setbacks/adversity, focus, communicatiion, work ethic & intensity and making good life choices. The following questions may help...
* Do you feel many of your athletes don’t understand the concept of “team”?
* In practice would you say that you have many athletes who aren’t focused and end up going through the motions?
* Have your athletes developed the “skill” of goal setting in the skill/performance realm?
* How well do your athletes handle frustration, setbacks & adversity?
* Have they established a clear picture of what level they are shooting for, striving for and working to achieve?
* Do you feel your athletes establish a habit of intensity, and recognize the value of hard work?
* Is there a sense of passion and purpose in the practice environment?
* Do the athletes understand the difference between the “Pursuit of Excellence” and the “Pursuit of Winning”?
* Is there recognition of the obstacles that keep them (individually, or as a team) from reaching their goals?
* In the heat of a competitive moment… do your athletes maintain control of their emotions?
* Does the “fear of losing” inhibit their level of performance?
* Does the lack of communication hinder your team’s ability to support each other?
* Have you had issues with athletes making poor choices? (Alcohol and other drugs, etc.)
* Individually… is there a lot of negative self talk, or lack of self confidence?
* Do your captains know how to be leaders?
* Do players have a difficult time accepting their role and responsibility on the team?
* Do you feel your athletes are able to read, react and anticipate things as they transpire during competition?
* How well does your team handle the plateaus that are inevitable in athletics?
Sessions typically last 2 1/2 hours. In that time frame, I may do 6-10 activities, but choose from over 150 different activities, depending on the objectives of the coaching staff. When I starting working more specifically with athletic teams in 2003 I did not anticipate coaches having me back to do multiple sessions with their teams. However, many coaches have me back each year and I'm able to do different challenges each session. The athletes certainly enjoy the training format and the challenges associated with them. A gym provides me with the best options in planning a training agendam, but I've learned to be flexible with facilities. I bring all the necessary equipment for the training experience. With HS sports programs, I usually work with all the athletes from in grades 9-12. Some coaches choose to have me work exclusively with their Varsity, and Varsity/JV athletes. There are benefits to either option, but the price is the same. More coaches go with the whole program feel since it is such a great investment and experience for the younger athletes and it helps develop more of a "whole program" feel. Many high school and college programs use this training experience for large groups as well.
I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand
Potential and ability don’t guarantee improved performance.
Talented individuals do not necessarily mean you’ll have a strong team.
Leads to SUCCESS!