Game Situations: Coaches Demeanor

During a game, the way a coach conducts himself will determine how well his team reacts. 

The coach needs to always keep in mind that as a leader, his team will feed off of his actions and reactions.  Show nerves and your team will also.  Be afraid of competition and your team will be afraid to compete.  Be negative and your team will not be able to properly express itself on the basketball court.

With the above in mind, I would like to spend some time discussing what a coach should do in order to instill confidence in his team and have them play with confidence in all situations.  The way a coach can give confidence to his team has a lot to do with 6 things:

1. Be positive when your team makes good plays.  This is the most important thing a coach can do.  Don't be the type of coach that teaches through fear.  Rather be the type of coach that teaches and reinforces through positive feedback.  When a player or your team execute well (in practice or in game) be quick to give them credit and don't be afraid to be enthusiastic when you do it.  This action will show the players that executing a tough play or drill will earn them positive feedback from their coach.  
2. Correct player errors in a positive way.  This one is tricky because as a coach you're there to teach and correct mistakes.  There are many methods that have been used by coaches but I think the most effective way is to be positive.  I like to use the sandwich approach where I'll try to start off the conversation by finding  a positive, then I'll correct by asking what could've been done differently, and then close with another positive comment.  The whole conversation might go like this:  "I like the way you took the ball to the hole aggressively.  What do you think you can do better so you can avoid the ball being stripped next time?"  After the player gives me his answer and I make sure he understands all of his options I will follow up by saying, "If you learn how to do this you can be a real force taking the ball to the basket."
3. Never let your team see you sweat.  Your main role as a coach is that of a leader.  You can't lead if you lose your credibility with your players.  This is why it is so important that you never act surprised or flustered.  Your players look up to you and it is important the perception they have of you is never ruined.  You need to be the guy with all the answers.  That's why it is so important to always keep your composure, and have your team well prepared for situations that may arise in games.  Think ahead of time about how you will use time outs, what you might do if certain players have foul trouble, what will happen if you are down or up during the game.  In spite of all the preparation that you do for a game there will always be surprises.  It is during these times that you need to keep your composure and think on your feet.  If you do your job well during practices and know your team you can always adjust on the fly if need be.
4. Never be the center of attention.  If you are on the sidelines screaming at refs and at players you end up being the center of attention.  This can cause your players to lose focus on what they need to do during games.  If you don't agree with a call then let the ref know by asking him what he saw that made him make the call that he made.  He'll respect you if you treat him like a human being.  When it comes to your players regardless of the mistake it is your job to pick them up and keep them confident so stay positive.
5. Always hold your players accountable during games.  Make sure they honor the Code of Conduct.  If they don't then enforce it.  Yes you want to be positive but you also need to keep order.  Without order and discipline then your team will not succeed in the tough games.
6. Be fair to all of your players.  Your best player should not be treated any differently than your worst.  This means that if your best player breaks a rule then it's the next man in.

So there you have it.  In a nutshell, be positive, keep your credibility with your players through preparation, hold them accountable, and treat everyone the same.  Do all of the above and you should get the most out of your players during games.