So many times, a student-athlete performs a skill and observers, coaches, officials, and spectators alike, agree that it was “truly a high school play.” The sequence may play out differently – lacking a clear plan, forcing a low-percentage option, misunderstanding how the play will be officiated – but the process (emotions out of control) and outcome (a missed opportunity) remain the game.
It’s bound to happen from time to time during the season but how often is too much? When is it time to learn and move on. Players seem to think that they can fool coaches but they’re crazy. We’ve all seen that movie too many times.
Don’t shoot me; I’m only a basketball coach. The Talent Code emphasizes the importance of error correction. Practice at game intensity and quality, under pressure, is bound to generate errors. Players should note the errors and work to eliminate them. Coaches can’t let errors slide but it becomes more challenging when players want to fight them out in the streets to find who’s right and who’s wrong. Nobody’s right and nobody’s wrong because we’re all on the same team.
Teams at all levels are capable of the following basic steps to improve performance:
Players should:
- Buy in Immediately.
- Work as much with the mind as the body.
- Degrief, Debrief, and Prepare.
Coaches must:
- Provide objective information to all student-athletes.
- Explanation, Demonstration, Imitation, and Repetition.
- Focus on the process.
High school players reach the next level when they understand not only their own abilities and limitations but those of their teammates and opponents. They see the big picture and don’t sweat the small stuff. They incorporate mental training before and after performances. They consider how the referees will call their plays. They learn to make choices under pressure. They stop fighting and learn from mistakes.
Everything that coaches do should be a step towards helping student-athletes make “truly great plays.” Over the season, incorporating all of that teaching, in addition to instructing fundamental skills and team play, is a great challenge. I guess that’s why they call it coaching.