How do you know if your team has camaraderie? I can tell by the way they walk off the floor at the end of practice. You can feel their happiness vibrating; you can see how they work out together; you can watch it in the shower room — what they’re talking about, the level of excitement. There are many ways you can feel it, and it’s better to feel it than to hear it. The camaraderie practically comes out of their bodies. And you don’t feel that way when you’re losing. Losing reveals things. - Pete Carril
You FEEL the difference. The players keep working but there's a GRIND undercurrent. It's not enough for a few players to bring high energy to practice; everyone has to want to bring energy.
The question is how to lighten the atmosphere, keep the 'compete level' high, and still introduce and enhance fundamental skills that translate to game activity. Creativity, learning, and repetition have little meaning without joy. PLAY the game.
Bring attitude. In Tuesday Morning Coaching, David Cottrell discusses the need for "no matter what". Every day has to be special with the commitment to make a difference.
Vary the routine. Change up how we run practice, the drills, how we keep score, the teams.
Position specific work. With thirteen players and one coach, positional group work suffers sometimes. Just because it's "hard" doesn't mean it can't happen. Leave your comfort zone.
Individual attention. If position group work is hard, then finding time for individual development is that much more so. Last night I found some time to work on a few skills with a few players and it means so much to them.
"Well done is better than well said." - Benjamin Franklin
Show players why today's practice matters.
- Model excellence.
- Share the big picture.
- Be prepared.
- Be detail-oriented.
- Don't just teach, emphasize.
- Listen.
- Give and get feedback.
- Engage everyone.
- Simplify. Wring as many mistakes as possible out of your system.
- Encourage creativity. Robots don't play basketball.