The best coaches get the most from their teams, players, and themselves.
Years ago after we watched the UCONN women practice, an audience member asked Coach Auriemma, "were you nice to the team today because an audience was watching?" He answered, "No. I was nice because they're babies. If I yell, they'll say, "Coach hates me. And then they won't play well.""
Back in the day, coaches weren't thinking about kindness during yelling, water prohibition, or video critiques. There weren't any water bottles at practice or games. For anybody.
Sure, coaches had occasional kind words for players and teams. It just wasn't expected. High praise from Coach Lane was, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied." And that was good enough for us.
Most people work harder and perform better with encouragement, praise, and gratitude than with "piling on."
Kindness doesn't preclude high standards. Set high expectations for tough, aggressive, unselfish, and smart play without abuse. Yelling more doesn't mean caring more.
Brad Stevens said, "be demanding without demeaning." Driving the bus doesn't entitle us to throw people under it. Inappropriate criticism includes calling players "useless" or "worthless" or worse.
Don't expect players to "run through a wall" for us after throwing brickbats at them.
Lagniappe. The Celtics used the dunker spot to take away rim protection. Most teams don't have the elite players to capitalize.
Joe Mazulla used Jrue Holiday in the dunkers spot very effectively in the NBA finals.
— Chris Steed (@steeder10) October 3, 2024
Inverting the offense is EXTREMELY effective at all levels.
The goal is to force the defensive PG to have to protect the rim. It also creates a huge advantage on the offensive glass.… pic.twitter.com/PgxGnM6zgg
Lagniappe 2. Body language is something to work on and teach players to work on.
Your body language is your nonverbal voice.
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) September 18, 2024
It communicates a story about your mindset, attitude, and beliefs.
• It speaks louder than your words.
• It bridges the gaps where words fail.
• It's your solution to connect and influence.
Your body language is contagious. It has… pic.twitter.com/FB9A35veOh
