Sports Then and Now

There are so many sports out there that require having a professional team. However, in order to be able to build and maintain a successful team one does not only need talent. They also need a lot of determination and good spirit. If you want to play basketball, football or baseball you need a good team – otherwise, your coaching efforts will go unnoticed. Nonetheless, a lot of people are wondering what makes a regular team a successful one. Training a sports team is a challenging job, but it is very rewarding at the same time.

The way you train your sports team has several positive impacts on their results. That’s because training motivates athletes to become better, boosts up their running efficiency and it makes their bodies a lot stronger. At the same time, their capabilities as athletes are polished and enhanced. No matter the result at the end of a game, the positive experience of coaching outweighs the episodic moments of distrust, uncertainty or fatigue that arise after a long season. Nonetheless, if you keep having bad feelings about your teams or you feel stressed out, and nothing seems to be going right, there might be something else to blame. Failure is not always the fault of the coach, but there are some strategies to make team management more successful.

Always Communicate

Communication is one of the most important factors in people’s lives. Nothing is possible without communication. Yet, constant communication is expected at all times. Back in the day communication was a lot different. Coaches would tell parents and kids were practices were, and they had to show up no matter what. Nowadays, busy family schedules or crowded facilities require constant communication. Communication can take so many shapes or forms these days. Coaches can send a single message, either a text or an email, to the whole team, instead of calling a million people. Therefore, communication makes the team stronger, and it is an essential element of sports team management.

Accept Constructive Feedback

Whether you’re coaching a football or a baseball team, you need to teach your athletes that criticism is part of the process. Constructive criticism between players is always welcome, although it might be hard to accept at times. Being able to accept criticism takes courage and ability to accept other’s opinions. Those qualities are fundamental when talking about any kind of sports teams. Sharing your opinion is not just a way of criticizing someone, but also an amazing way of providing positive feedback. As long as those opinions are shared with respect and in an elegant manner, not as blame, there is little you need to worry about.

Every Member is Important

This is easier said than done. Nevertheless, in order to be able to manage a successful team, one has to know how to create a team. Yet, making everyone feel part of the team takes a lot of patience and professionalism. In this case, communication plays an important role, but constant encouragement and reassurance are also critical. Everyone needs to be able to express their opinions and suggestions. Even though you are the coach, you need to be able to accept your team’s suggestions from time to time. As long as they feel valued, your work as a coach becomes a lot simpler. Another good way of making athletes part of a team is by providing them with elements that make them belong in the same environment, such as pins. Have a look at different pin styles and pick something that would make them feel proud of being part of a certain team.

Delegate Tasks to Parents

Coaching a team is difficult enough. Nevertheless, coaches who try to do everything themselves are admirable, but they should know that by delegating tasks, everyone is happy and work becomes easier. If you want to take care of snack schedules and prepare the field for training, you might be easily overwhelmed. This factor contributes to poor team management, an intense feeling of frustration, tiredness which results in failure most of the time. Don’t feel like you need to complete every single task out there, even though you are the coach. Delegate tasks to either parents or kids and they will be more than happy to take some weight off your shoulders. This way, you can focus all your energies on your priorities and be more energized before a game. Remember that many want to contribute to the success of a team, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Treat Mistakes Seriously

Even though you are trying to make people feel part of the team, it is critical to know not to blame the whole team in case of failure. Everyone needs to learn how to take responsibility if they made a mistake. This makes you an honest individual with your teammates but with you as well. Blaming other people for a mistake is not admirable sportsmanship and should not happen in a strong and successful team. Learn how to take responsibility and people around will understand that you had a bad day, they will not blame you for being honest, but they will appreciate that.

Pick a Leader

Every team needs a leader who knows exactly how to motivate the others because they have a clear goal in mind. Yet, every team member needs to know exactly what their purpose in the group is. Picking a leader is also a way of easing your burden. As long as team members know how to communicate effectively, they don’t need to tell you everything that goes on between them. They can give you information on the most important aspects. Nonetheless, the coach is the one who carries responsibility for both victories and defeats.

Last but not least, you need to be flexible and go off plan when necessary. Although you plan every practice in advance, you need to adapt every game plan only because every single game is different. Careful strategies don’t work for every kind of game. Whenever necessary, just go with the flow and wing it. This is especially true when working with younger kids.

The aspects described above are meant to facilitate the life of coaches and give them some insights on the strategies that most successful teams adopt. Although there is no direct way to success, adaptation is critical.