Responsible Coaching: In One Way, It Is a Stretch
6/1/2009
By David Jacobson
Positive Coaching Alliance
We know that sometimes Responsible Coaching, where you strive to win and teach life lessons through sports, can seem like a figurative stretch. However, we also hope you recognize the importance of stretching both literally, in terms of the health and safety benefits of pre-practice stretching, and figuratively, in terms of you and your players using the stretching session to consider ways past what you see as limitations.
Stretching is a great time to build camaraderie and teach life lessons. Think about it. When else would you have your team gathered for an activity specifically meant to help players relax, both physically and mentally, before the rigors of drills and scrimmages?
This is a great time to talk to your players free of the noise, physical exertion and focus on executing techniques that is inherent to most of the rest of a practice session. The stretching session is a time to impart the intellectual information players need to execute that days tasks.
It also is a time to let players flex and stretch not just their limbs but also their creativity and leadership muscles. For example, you can have players take turns leading individual stretches, at the same time leading different team chants to count down the desired duration of that stretch.
***** Responsible Sports has developed an entire section aimed at targeting this subject, Filling Players Emotional Tanks . One of the principles that goes into filling players tanks is Buddy System.
Coaches should not be the only people responsible for filling emotional tanks. During the stretching, its a great time to introduce the principle Buddy System . Partner athletes before a practice or a game, and ask them to be responsible for filling each others' tanks. When their partners make mistakes, they are responsible for helping them bounce back quickly. When their partners do something well, they are the first to praise them. At the end of the practice/game, ask your athletes to share what their teammates said or did to keep their tanks full.
In our media library, we have this principle captured in video with a youth team. Watch the Buddy System principle today!****
The vocal mannerisms in the way different players lead their stretches often gives clues to the observant coach as to which players are in what kind of mood. For example, if a player who is usually vocal seems quieter during his or her turn to lead a stretch, it may be a clue that that player is not feeling as energetic as usual.
It could be fatigue or distraction by an off-field matter. Regardless, the Responsible Coach will note the change in behavior and be prepared to respond. You may want to take the player aside later to see if he or she has a problem, or just make a mental note that that player may need a little extra encouragement that day.
Conversely, you may have a player who has been in a shell or in a funk, who seems particularly vocal as a stretch leader, letting you know that he or she carries more energy than usual. Maybe, during that players funk, you have held back on issuing a challenge to try some new skills or techniques, and now, recognizing the players change in attitude, you see the opportunity to get the player to stretch his or her skill set.
Beyond assessing individual and team moods, and sensing opportunities to improve on-field performance, here is one way to use stretching to teach life lessons, borrowed from a Positive Coaching Alliance Trainers, Leslee Brady. Next time your team is stretching, tell your players to stand up straight and stretch their arms as high as they can. While they are doing so, you can impart some thoughts for the day, or list a few to-do items for that days practice.
Then, challenge the players to stretch their arms a little higher. Almost invariably, they will be able to do so, even though they already had been instructed to stretch as high as they could.
Point out that fact to them. Then explain that on and off the field, whenever they are challenged to stretch as far as they can, they might find ways to stretch even farther.
In an effort to benefit millions of youth athletes, parents and coaches, this article is among a series created exclusively for partners in the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports TM program (ResponsibleSports.com) powered by Positive Coaching Alliance (http://www.positivecoach.org).