Coaching Toolbox shares valuable information about the message. We share the little sisters - aspiRATION and inspiRATION and players must provide the big ones...prepaRATION and perspiRATION.
I'm not against yelling. I share an old message. We heard long ago was, "If the coach isn't yelling at you, then he stopped caring...because he saw no hope." But that was then. "Shout praise and whisper criticism."
About 1170 BC the Greeks overwhelmed the Trojans by leaving a massive wooden horse outside Troy. But under the cloak of darkness, inside the walled city, elite Greek soldiers emerged, disabled the sentries, and opened the gates to their compatriots who had returned that night by sea. We need our own "Trojan Horse" messaging while communicating with youngsters. Connecting with compassion, shared goals and values and belief..."I believe in you" will always matter.
Our players do listen and we never know what they will pick up on.
"They will talk about what you said at halftime of a game 10 years ago, and you will not even recall saying what they tell you that you said.The other issue with that is the difference between your intended message, the actual message, and the received message. These three messages can end up being quite different from each other. I might know what I am trying to say. However, my words may come out different than the way I am thinking it."
Once I had scolded the team for lackluster effort and allowing the opponent to push them around. About six months later, a player said, "that really got to me when you said, "you cannot live your life like that...low effort and accepting what comes your way." If we want to make a difference, then we need to stay "on message," every day.
