Unleash the Inner Beast: How to Power Up Your Passive Athlete!

 

The Most Inspiring Challenge in Coaching

We all know that athlete: the one with the incredible skill, the heart of gold, and the potential that is absolutely through the roof—but they're holding back. That competitive fire, that assertive drive, just doesn't seem to ignite naturally. Sound familiar?

Get ready for some amazing news: You can absolutely teach a player to be brilliantly aggressive!

We aren't talking about anger; we are talking about unlocking their competitive superpower—the focused intensity that wins championships. This is a teachable skill, and when you develop it, you unleash an athlete who is unstoppable!

First Gear: Defining Power, Not Pushing Anger

Let's ditch the word "aggression" for a moment and focus on Instrumental Intensity. This is the positive, assertive energy we want!

Hold This Thought:Ditch This Thought:
Instrumental IntensityHostile Aggression
Goal: Achievement & SuccessGoal: Anger & Harm
Driven By: Focus & ConfidenceDriven By: Frustration
The Result: Fearless PlayThe Result: Penalties & Mistakes

We are coaching the athlete to be relentless, powerful, and assertive—a force of nature within the rules!

Step 1: The Mental Spark—Flipping the Confidence Switch

The passive athlete often plays small because they are worried about making a mistake. Our job is to shift their entire emotional landscape!

Celebrate the Effort, Every Single Time

Change the definition of success! The goal is no longer "don't mess up." The new, powerful goal is: "Give 100% Full-Throttle Effort on Every Play!"

When they try to be assertive—even if it doesn't work out—you jump in with massive praise! This builds a bridge of confidence that tells them: It's safe to be powerful.

Your Power Phrase

Give your athlete a personal mantra to instantly trigger their "Game Face." It should be short, punchy, and positive.

Ideas: "I OWN This!" "Power Through!" "Fearless Focus!"

Repeating a positive power cue resets their mind from passive to assertive in a split second!

Step 2: Training the Edge—Making Intensity a Muscle

Competitive intensity is a skill you can drill and perfect!

Build the Habit in Practice

Make "Winning the Small Battle" the most fun part of practice! Design high-energy drills where the players must be assertive to succeed.

  • Drill Idea: Create small, 1v1 or 2v2 competitive zones where the only way to score or keep possession is through persistent, assertive physical play (within the rules, of course!).

  • The Result: They develop muscle memory for assertive actions, making them second nature when the game starts!

Visualize the Victory

Encourage your athlete to use mental practice. Have them close their eyes and visualize themselves making powerful, successful plays—a dominating block, a relentless pursuit of the ball, or a fearless drive through traffic. They are literally training their brain to expect and deliver power!

The Payoff: An Athlete Transformed

By focusing on effort, rewarding the attempt, and making assertiveness a daily habit, you aren't just changing a player; you are changing a mindset. You are teaching them that their power isn't about being mean, it's about being committed.

Watch them step onto the field or court with a new, dazzling confidence. The timid player transforms into the team’s most reliable, high-effort competitor. It’s one of the most rewarding moments in sports!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Offense: Dean Smith's Shuffle Offense

Image
The shuffle offense is a nice little offense that was made popular by Dean Smith and it's origins date back to the 1950's.  The thing that I like about this offense is that it forces all 5 players to be familiar with playing both in the post and on the perimeter.  It also necessitates that all players know how to set screens and how to use screens.  To me this is an offense that can be used at the youth levels where a coach's main goal should be to expose players to multiple positions as opposed to tying kids down to one position at a young age. Once all of the wrinkles are in this offense can be a bit complicated for the beginner but in it's basic form it can be taught to 3rd and 4th graders.
Read more

Drills-3v2 2v1 Fast Break

Image
Some of the drills I like to run the most in practice are fast break drills.  These drills help emphasize everything you want as a coach.  They stress fundamentals, fitness, and force the players to make quick decisions.  Add to it the fact that my teams love running these drills and you have a match made in heaven.  Below is the first of many fast break drills that I like to run.  This is a 3 on 2, 2 on 1 drill. 
Read more

Drill: 5v5v5 Fast Break

Image
This is a nice drill that emphasizes a whole bunch of game like situations.  Here is the list:  Fast Break Secondary Break Offensive sets Transition Defense Transition to standard defense Recognizing and attacking odd man opportunities.
Read more