Targets for Coaches
So far I've covered my "targets" for players and parents.
My target for players is to provide the tools and coaching needed for them to best develop, express, and enjoy their talents.
My target for parents is to enable them to create an emotional context or relationship with their son that frees the son to develop, express, and enjoy his talent.
My target with coaches is essentially the same as parents, even though they play a very different role than parents.
My target for coaches is to enable them to facilitate the (1)development, (2) expression and (3) enjoyment of their player's talents.
Define facilitate: to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.) (online dictionary).
Coaches can't play for the players, learn for the players or control the players. Players must do the learning and playing themselves.
So the coach's role is to facilitate. Do your damnedest to make the development, expression and enjoyment of players' talents as easy as possible. (Note: this does not mean it is actually easy for players, just easier.)
This is determined largely by the "emotional context" a coach sets for his team. What does the team feel like? What are the unwritten rules? Do players feel safe? Does information flow freely? Do players and coaches trust each other? Respect each other? How present are dignity? Pride?
Great coaches set great emotional contexts. Even though few would use that term.
A great emotional context makes the other three elements easier.
(1) Develop their players' talents. For too long there has been an imbalance in coaches' approach to the game. Strong on "outer" or visible elements such as strategy and technique. Weak on "inner" or non-visible elements such as confidence and focus.
When a coach makes a change in a player's technique, say he lowers his hand position in his stance, it affects the player's confidence, focus, and well-being. Often new technical instructions "interfere" with performance.
Coaches must keep this in mind and the good ones are constantly looking for ways to help player make "mechanical" adjustments without the player's performance being "mechanical" (bad).
Developing talents also includes developing confidence, focus, composure and consistency. These are not often taught directly, but are vital to success.
(2) Free players to express those talents. Freedom is at the heart of baseball performance.
Freedom = Trust.
When players play freely they play at or near their best.
When players play tight, they play badly.
Using Gallwey's model (Performance = Potential - Interference), a player playing freely has very little interference. Thus, his performance is very near his potential.
That's what a coach wants.
Players cannot play "over their heads." They can only play at or near their best. That's all a coach can ask for and that's what his goal should be.
Like parents, coaches are sometimes sources of interference. They get in the way as much or more as they help. Not intentionally, but that's often the result.
My target is to provide the tools and coaching needed for coaches to free their players to play great; to play to play great rather then play to avoid playing badly.
(3) Help players enjoy the game. Players want to have fun.
Derek Jeter told me keeping it fun was key to his success and clutch performances.
What I find is that when players develop their mental game baseball becomes fun again.
The good news is rather than having to decide between having fun and winning, having fun creates a positive emotional context which makes success more likely.
In closing, the target I'm shooting at is for BaseballConfidence.com to empower coaches to better facilitate the development, expression, and enjoyment of their players.
Having been a college head coach for 7 years, a DI hitting coach for 3, and an American Legion assistant for 3 years, I can speak from some valuable experience.
Tom
Dr. Tom Hanson
p.s. This exercise of clarifying my targets has been very helpful to me. I hope you've gained some insight into where I'm heading. You're welcome to just enjoy and benefit from my emails each week, but I invite you to come out of the stands and get onto the field.
This month in the Gym is all about setting clear targets and going after them. Read the details for this month's program at:
http://www.BaseballConfidence.com/This_Month_in_the_Gym.html
My target for players is to provide the tools and coaching needed for them to best develop, express, and enjoy their talents.
My target for parents is to enable them to create an emotional context or relationship with their son that frees the son to develop, express, and enjoy his talent.
My target with coaches is essentially the same as parents, even though they play a very different role than parents.
My target for coaches is to enable them to facilitate the (1)development, (2) expression and (3) enjoyment of their player's talents.
Define facilitate: to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.) (online dictionary).
Coaches can't play for the players, learn for the players or control the players. Players must do the learning and playing themselves.
So the coach's role is to facilitate. Do your damnedest to make the development, expression and enjoyment of players' talents as easy as possible. (Note: this does not mean it is actually easy for players, just easier.)
This is determined largely by the "emotional context" a coach sets for his team. What does the team feel like? What are the unwritten rules? Do players feel safe? Does information flow freely? Do players and coaches trust each other? Respect each other? How present are dignity? Pride?
Great coaches set great emotional contexts. Even though few would use that term.
A great emotional context makes the other three elements easier.
(1) Develop their players' talents. For too long there has been an imbalance in coaches' approach to the game. Strong on "outer" or visible elements such as strategy and technique. Weak on "inner" or non-visible elements such as confidence and focus.
When a coach makes a change in a player's technique, say he lowers his hand position in his stance, it affects the player's confidence, focus, and well-being. Often new technical instructions "interfere" with performance.
Coaches must keep this in mind and the good ones are constantly looking for ways to help player make "mechanical" adjustments without the player's performance being "mechanical" (bad).
Developing talents also includes developing confidence, focus, composure and consistency. These are not often taught directly, but are vital to success.
(2) Free players to express those talents. Freedom is at the heart of baseball performance.
Freedom = Trust.
When players play freely they play at or near their best.
When players play tight, they play badly.
Using Gallwey's model (Performance = Potential - Interference), a player playing freely has very little interference. Thus, his performance is very near his potential.
That's what a coach wants.
Players cannot play "over their heads." They can only play at or near their best. That's all a coach can ask for and that's what his goal should be.
Like parents, coaches are sometimes sources of interference. They get in the way as much or more as they help. Not intentionally, but that's often the result.
My target is to provide the tools and coaching needed for coaches to free their players to play great; to play to play great rather then play to avoid playing badly.
(3) Help players enjoy the game. Players want to have fun.
Derek Jeter told me keeping it fun was key to his success and clutch performances.
What I find is that when players develop their mental game baseball becomes fun again.
The good news is rather than having to decide between having fun and winning, having fun creates a positive emotional context which makes success more likely.
In closing, the target I'm shooting at is for BaseballConfidence.com to empower coaches to better facilitate the development, expression, and enjoyment of their players.
Having been a college head coach for 7 years, a DI hitting coach for 3, and an American Legion assistant for 3 years, I can speak from some valuable experience.
Tom
Dr. Tom Hanson
p.s. This exercise of clarifying my targets has been very helpful to me. I hope you've gained some insight into where I'm heading. You're welcome to just enjoy and benefit from my emails each week, but I invite you to come out of the stands and get onto the field.
This month in the Gym is all about setting clear targets and going after them. Read the details for this month's program at:
http://www.BaseballConfidence.com/This_Month_in_the_Gym.html
posted by Tom Hanson at
12:18 PM
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