Building a Better Team

GUANGZHOU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 19: Pitching coac... 

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

It doesn’t matter if you coach little league or are a coach for a major league baseball team; you have to have the right attitude and know how to work with others to build a better team. While you may have experience in team building and relationships classes if you are a coach of a professional team, all of that can be put to use on any type of sports team no matter how small or what type it is.

For a team to function as a cohesive group, there has to be a sense of conraderie and personal relationship status. A team cannot support each other if they feel as if they are not part of the whole picture. It is important to build a spirit of comraderie and the team has to feel that each individual is as important as the other. While your sports team may have a star player, if the others do not feel as important or inferior, they won’t work as well and the entire team will suffer.

While it is basic knowledge that most everyone wants praise for their work, it is important to keep that in mind when working with children. As a coach for a professional team you may want to use praise when it is called for but with children it may be necessary to use it more often because these children are developing skills that will last a lifetime. This doesn’t mean you should coddle your team but it does mean that you need to give credit when credit is due.

Filed Under: Sports, Teams Tagged With: , ,

Choose Nike for Your Next Workout

The Air Max IV/Air Max 91; nowadays known as t...

Image via Wikipedia

When you work out you want clothing that moves and breathes with you. You want it to be comfortable, stylish and long-lasting. You want shoes that fit. In a nutshell, you want what you purchase to work for you because you have so much work to do.

Nike footwear for men includes Air Max, high sneakers, Waffle Racers, Low V sneakers and more. Get what you need for walking, running, bicycling and racing. Buy for looks. Buy for style. Colors range from a white to vivid orange and a variety of colors in between.

Nike footwear for women includes Air Max, Vandal Low, canvas styles, and high tops. Get what you want. Be in style while still in the gym. If you’re looking for some night life outside the gym, try some Nike high heels.

Nike athletic clothing for men includes T-shirts, hoodies, shorts, team apparel, training tops, swim parkas, pants, golf shirts and more. Be comfortable whether you’re working out indoors or outside.

Nike offers similar workout clothing choices for women in a variety of colors and fashionable styles. In addition, expect bra tops and running bras.

Nike also offers accessories such as socks and hats, as well as workout clothes for children such as t-shirts, shorts, and long-sleeved tees. Get your children involved in exercise and help them improve their health.

Obtaining clothing, shoes or accessories for your next workout doesn’t need to take a lot of time. Get the quality you want by shopping online and getting your goods fast.

Filed Under: Tips

Playing the Game First

When you play any kind of game, be it during the training stage or during the actual game itself, you need to play the game first. When you start out playing the game in your mind, you can visualize what is going to happen before it does. You can see all kinds of different possibilities for the game, and all manner of different ways the game can end up going. When you play this way, the game becomes downright easy for you to win.

Winning any kind of event comes down to more than just physical conditioning. It ultimately comes down to what’s in your mind. How you think about the game, and what you think about pertaining to the game, are ultimately what will determine how successful you are in any kind of athletic pursuit. As the old saying goes, thoughts are things. When you play the game in your head first, victory is all but assured from the beginning. You want it the most, and you most thoroughly imagine winning. From there, you just have to actually do it.

Playing the game in your head before you play it on the field or the court might sound like just something people do when they’re sitting on a mat in the lotus position- food for flakes, basically. But every study that has ever been done on visualization confirms that its effects are extremely real. In fact, when a person “practices” in their mind, they are shown to improve at a given activity almost as much as people who practice in real life do. When you practice winning, winning will become your most powerful habit.

Filed Under: Sports, Training Tagged With: , ,

Coaching Strategies to Motivate Your Team

Handwritten words: "Motivation & Emotion&...

Image via Wikipedia

One of the biggest responsibilities of a coach is keeping your team motivated to give one hundred percent every game and every practice. Some days, this task is easy while other days keeping your team on task is nearly impossible.

Motivate your team by using praise when a team member performs well. Use phrases like “way to go” and “awesome job.” This positive reinforcement will make that team member want to perform well again and will also make team mates want to earn your praise. Recognize good work in front of the entire team at team meetings and by mentioning good work during press interviews.

Set challenging goals to further motivate your team. At the start of season, list the ultimate goal for the year, like winning championships or winning X amount of games. Keep that goal somewhere in the locker room for the team to read daily throughout the season. Set improvement goals for each player to improve performance, and goals for the team like doing better on defense or performing better in certain areas. Write all of the goals down and give reports about how well the team is doing throughout the year to keep players motivated and directed to constant improvement.

A coach must learn how to reach his team to keep the team motivated and on task. Motivation can be challenging sometimes, but with a plan of attack, motivating the team comes easier. Some strategies include writing down goals and giving positive reinformcement for a solid performance.

Filed Under: Teams Tagged With: , ,

Become a Successful Youth Sports Coach

Coach Ross Lyon (centre) addresses the St Kild... 

Image via Wikipedia

Volunteering sports coaching to the younger generation can be one of the most rewarding experiences for you. The age of youngsters is one of the most critical stages of their life where they undergo several physical and mental developments. It is a privilege to get a chance to coach and mentor the youth. It becomes a responsibility of the youth sports coach to understand the mental state of the players. It is crucial for a coach to realize that his sayings can have life-long positive or negative impacts on the player.

Youngsters are often very aggressive and it requires a lot of patience to deal with them. There is nothing wrong when a coach expresses his displeasure with the wrong deed of a player as long as it is done in a professional manner. However, the important point here is that if you are telling a player about his mistakes; always make sure that you also tell that player about the positive development in him/her, if any. If a player always hears negative comments and criticism from you, he will stop trusting and listening to you.

Patience is the main key for becoming a successful youth sports coach. You should always stop and think before you speak anything in front of your players. No matter how angry and displeased you are, wrong words from you can do irreparable damage. This can have opposite effect on your team and all the efforts you had put in might just go in vain. Remember, you represent your team and it is your responsibility to teach them to be calm and composed at all the circumstances.

Filed Under: Coaching, Sports Tagged With: , ,

Picking A Team Or Individual Sport

When you’re first beginning to get involved in sports, one of the first things to decide is whether you want to play a team sport, or an individual sport. As you might imagine, much of the answer to this question will stem from your own personality. Think about the types of things you like to do that aren’t related to sports. Take work projects, for example. If you find that you thrive in a team environment that requires collaboration and the support of others, you may find it simple and enjoyable to transfer those feelings onto a playing field. On other other hand, many people do their best work when they are alone. These are often the people that are said to have a “type A” personality, have huge amounts of personal motivation and do not have difficulty being productive without the urging of others.

Keep in mind that no matter if you choose to devote yourself to team sports or individual sports, you aren’t necessarily confining yourself as much as you might think. When you are competing in individual competitions, you’ll often notice that you see the same people at each competitive opportunity, especially if you are at the local and regional level. You can easily become friends with these other people who share your involvement in the sport, and use them as a source of support.  And, if you pick a team-based sport, you will often be practicing and conditioning your body on your own time, hitting the gym and lifting weights, outside of just practicing with your teammates on the field. Finally, keep in mind that it’s okay to experiment with a few sports before making a commitment.

Filed Under: Sports, Teams Tagged With: , ,

Things To Keep In Mind When Coaching Youth Sports

Deciding to get involved in coaching youth sports is a far-reaching choice because it requires you to be committed to both the sport, and the team members. If you go about things in the right way though, it can be an extremely rewarding endeavour. Often, you’ll be making a lasting impression on your team, and helping them develop skills that will benefit them throughout their whole lives.

In order to be an effective coach, ideally you’ll be familiar with all rules and regulations that govern the game. It’s also good if you have played the sport at some time yourself, so that you have first-hand experience to offer the players. Whether you are on the field or off, whenever you are in the presence of your team, it’s important to conduct yourself in a way that is encouraging as well as inspiring. In order to help your team succeed, you’ll need to know what makes them tick, and that often means that you’ll wear many hats besides just being a coach. In addition to helping your team stay in top physical condition, you’ll also have to attend to their emotional state, which often takes a beating after particularly tough losses.

Also, you must have a full realization that your team will inevitably hit some rough patches that result in them not working as cohesively as they could. When these times occur, it will be to your advantage if you’re able to speak to the team in an honest, straightforward way, so during the extent of your coaching time, during good times and bad, encourage your team to come to discuss matters with you any time that they feel concerned.

Filed Under: Coaching, Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Joining An Intermural Sports Team

If you’re looking for something to help you stay active in your spare time, you may want to consider joining an intermural sports team. This type of team has several advantageous, but one of the most attractive benefits, particularly to people who are trying to add sports involvement to an already busy schedule is the fact that intermural sports do not require team members to travel out of state to practice or compete.

To take your interest in joining in a team to the next level, start by checking with your local gyms to see if they offer any intermural teams that are of interest. If that doesn’t produce any satisfying results, also check with the Parks and Recreation Department in your area, and finally, if you have any college campuses in your area, see if they offer anything you’re interested in. Although the latter option sometimes requires you to be a student of the university in order to compete, this is not always the case, so don’t be afraid to ask so you’re clear on all the rules before you sign up.

Once you’ve found a great intermural team, you can ask your friends and coworkers if they’re interested in playing along with you. If you’re part of a big office staff, you might even be able to form an entire team that is only made up of people that you work with. When it’s time to for your first competitive event, keep a positive attitude no matter how things turn out in the end. Remember that you’re there to have fun and be supportive of your teammates. Winning isn’t everything, and sometimes winning comes in more forms than just the most obvious ones.

Filed Under: Sports, Teams Tagged With: , ,

Creating a Cohesive Game Plan

Teams are only as strong as their weakest link and the last thing a coach wants is to be the weakest like in his or her team. Therefore, creating a cohesive game plan that stresses the strengths of a coaches team is the most effective way to prepare and have a team ready for whatever the competition has. Everyone has watched a game with a team of stars who looks like they are out there for themselves while the coach tries frantically to piece them all back together. Each opponent must be prepared for differently because no team is the same. Here are a few tips to creating a winning game plan.

Creating a Cohesive Game Plan

1. Know Thyself and Opponent- In the Art of War, one of the first rules is that if someone does not know themselves and their opponent they will surely fail. This is true for sports as well. Simply knowing another teams strengths and weaknesses is only half the battle, but knowing what a coaches team can do as well, will ensure that the game plan not only stresses one teams strengths but plays them against the other teams weaknesses.

2. Start Early- Preparing early and often is the most effective way to ensure a good showing. Giving athletes the chance to understand and comprehend an opponents style of play or strengths will help them to succeed. The coach cannot simply study the opponent and expect to move players around like chess pieces. The players must also be able to understand why certain tactics are working or not.

3. React- Sometimes the best game plan is to scrap the old game plan and react to whatever the opponent is doing. Being fluid and adaptable as coach is just as important as it is for players.

Creative a good game plan means looking at both sides of the competition and reacting to whatever happens. Coaches who refuse to adapt usually end up losing their jobs.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: , ,

Benefits Of Enrolling Your Child In Sports

If you’re seeking a new activity for your child, there are many great reasons to consider helping them get involved in sports. Whether they ultimately become involved in team sports or individual competitions, they will learn life skills such as commitment, dedication, motivation techniques and self-control. Furthermore, involvement in sports contributes to an overall healthy lifestyle. Medical experts recommend that people engage in at least thirty minutes of rigorous exercise per day. If your child is involved in sports, there’s a very good chance that their practice will last much longer than this amount of time, so they’ll be staying active without even having to take more time out of the day. Sports activities also help to increase a healthy body image in both boys and girls.

Sports can also help to foster a great work ethic too. The nature of sports encourages the act of working towards a goal and seeing it through to completion. Furthermore, kids learn to be satisfied with the outcome, whether it is good or bad, as long as they know they’ve given it their all.

Finally, sports can give your kids a variety of strong role models from both sexes to look up to for inspiration throughout life. However, do keep in mind that if you do choose to help your child pursue a passion for sports, you have a certain commitment to uphold as well, including helping your child get to and from practices, and even helping them to buy equipment and uniforms. Make sure that you are aware of all the costs involved right from the very beginning. Fortunately, you may be able to buy some equipment used, and if you’re having trouble getting your child to all the necessary practice sessions, you may be able to arrange for them to be part of a car pool.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts