Training Your Kids for Success

 The difference between a player who plays well in big games and the one who doesn't comes down to his ability to embrace playing outside his comfort zone.  If you listen to the successful pros in their interviews before and after big games the one common theme they all share is how important it is to embrace the opportunity that is in front of them.  They all will say how they put their trust in the thousands of hours they have spent in the gym honing their craft.  They will also say that failure never crosses their mind.  They prefer to focus on the opportunity that is before them.

How does this translate to kids and how can you as a coach instill values in them so that they can embrace such opportunities?  I think there are a few steps that coaches can take to build up confidence in their team.

  1. Find competitive games for them to play in.  Teams and players need to learn how to win.  This is especially true the older the child gets.  It is up to the coach to make sure that he finds competitive games for the kids to play in.  Your players need to get used to playing in tough games and the more you expose them to good competition the better they will become.
  2. Emphasize that having fun and playing loose is most important.  How you treat mistakes as a coach will determine how your team will react.  In a tough game your team is going to make mistakes.  You as a coach need to be prepared for that.  Try not to focus on mistakes stay positive and focused on the goals you have set for the team.  Once you lose your focus, your team will lose it's focus.
  3. Make the kids realize that the tougher the opponent the greater the opportunity.  Tell your kids that the best opportunities to see how they stack up as a team is by playing the best teams.  These games never lie.  As a competitive basketball player you want to measure yourself against the best.
  4. Keep things in perspective.  Make your kids realize that win or lose tomorrow will be another day.  The only thing you can do is play your hardest.  If you leave it all on the floor there is not much more you can do.
  5. Play to win but don't ever be afraid to lose.  This is the most important point.  Teach your kids to play hard and leave it all on the floor.  Just as importantly, teach them to never be afraid to face a challenge.

At the end of the day, if you as a coach show your kids that you embrace competition then they will also.  The 4 Pillars of Success also tell us to focus on the process and let the results take care of themselves.  If you come with good effort, try to execute, play as a team and evaluate and adjust as you go through the game the results will usually fall in your favor.

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