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How to make a TEAM out of a team!Sometimes the key elements that come together to make a winning team just fall apart. Or maybe they didn't exist from day one of the new season. You can make your own list of the reasons: absences, tardiness at practice, arguments, lack of preparation or talent, losing games and a defeatist attitude are just a few. Chaos sets in. Woe is us!When this happens know that there is a solution. This past season, the Dodgers went "From a winter of chaos to a summer of character." This is a wonderful line from Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. "Less than a year after collapsing under the weight of their own incompetence, the Dodgers are whole again. A team that 11 months ago had no general manager, no manager, and the third-worst record in its league has made the playoffs. From national jokers to wild-card qualifier. From a winter of chaos to a summer of character. "This hasn't just taken 25 guys, it has taken more than 25 guys, and we've known it," said pitcher Derek Lowe. "The best thing about this team is, it's a team." Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1,2006, Bill Shaikin, Times Staff Writer. "The best thing about this team is, it's a team." Lowe is obviously not referring to a mere assemblage of bodies and physical attributes. He's talking about a collective spirit in those bodies that created a strength of character that turned a season around. There aren't many things a youth coach can actually control. Players come in all shapes, sizes, and stages of physical development. Spirit, however, is a quality of team character which only the coach can create. It is the very thing that makes a team a team, as Lowe pointed out. Picture two oxen slowly pulling a cart. This is a team. Picture two fine race horses smartly stepping before a dray, heads high, having to be held back to keep them from racing recklessly ahead. This, too, is a team. A winning coach has the ability to turn oxen into racehorses. It's the spirit of the team that makes all the difference! Winning coaches generate team spirit by creating a culture that is positive, in spite of challenges. They notice the things that are going well and heap praise on players for effort and improvement. When every player feels valued because their effort is noticed by the coach and peers, they are likely to try harder and take the personal risks that will result in higher performance. Win-loss records certainly have an impact on team morale, but great coaches build a positive culture no matter what the record looks like. See You At the Top!! Copyright 2005(c) by Matt Hawk and Hawk Planners.com. All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: (1) a proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.hawkplanners.com/ (2) content may not be arranged or mirrored as a competitive online service.
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