Leave no doubt. Everyone experiences insecurity. Coaching transforms individuals and teams into resilient organisms. Coaches craft confidence with multiple tools.
Success breeds confidence. Bill Parcells preached, "confidence comes from proven success." Learning to win is a process. Talk alone won't get it done. The process of hard work and communication helps teams earn the right to win.
Affirmations. The voice in our head sends tens of thousands of messages daily. "You can only be as good as you believe you are." In 10-Minute Toughness, Jason Selk informs clients to have both an identity statement (this is who I am) and a performance statement (this is what I do).
Coaching. Education changes behavior. Pete Newell taught that coaches' first job is helping players to see the game. But it's also how they approach the game. Erik Spoelstra summarized his Heat goals: "Be the toughest, nastiest, best-conditioned, most professional, least-liked team."
Words stick as revelations or albatrosses. Speak greatness.
Visualization. Visualizing action activates parts of the brain triggering their execution. Selk teaches clients to develop an "ESPN-type" mental highlight reel lasting several minutes. Use about five highlight clips. Maybe you have a catch-and-shoot three game winner, a critical block, a charge taken in a key moment, or a crafty pass setting up a winning basket. Assemble and replay them in a personal mental highlight reel.
Therapy. Some players need more counseling and treatment than we can give. TeamUsa.org elaborates,“Student-athletes, coaches and staff tend to minimize mental disorders or psychological distress because of the expectations of strength, stability and "mental toughness" inherent in the sports culture.” Some need medication to manage anxiety, depression, and/or dual diagnoses with substance use.
Mindfulness. Mindfulness informs tangible, measurable benefits.
- Improved focus
- Improved sleep
- Lower stress hormones
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Better grades and standardized test scores
- Increases brain density in learning and memory areas (MRI) and reduces in stress center (amygdala)
- Used by many professional and Olympic athletes (Kobe, Shaq, KAT)
Praise and publicity. Being supportive and positive costs nothing. Recognition is part of how players get 'paid'. Many parents thirst for recognition of their child's effort and contribution. Share the wealth.
Networking. Networking includes not only communications with higher level coaches but also others who provide additional perspective, training, opportunity, and instruction. If Coach John Calipari has his Personal Board of DIrectors, players can have additional mentors.
Build players up in this physical and mental game.
Lagniappe. Purify your form.