SPORT AS A REFLECTION OF A COACH'S VALUES
...10 Steps to Creating Heroes



By Donna A. Lopiano,
Executive Director
Women's Sports Foundation


I. SPORT IS A CLASSROOM

Benefits of performing arts
Some very good things happen because of the structure and nature of sport - or any performing art such as drama or dance. The nature of these activities is that the performer is placed in a space spotlighted for the audience where he or she is clearly responsible for his or her actions, good or bad.

This personal responsibility for the performance of a skill has a stunning effect on the performer. If the player measures up to the task, it is the source of tremendous pride and confidence which produces self esteem and a strong self image.

The likelihood of this happening in sport or dance or drama is very great. The skills are well defined, you can practice your lines or pitches a hundred times before the game. Even when you compete and lose, the player and audience are capable of making the judgement that the player performed well and is very talented.

This gift of self esteem and pride is the source of many of the sport benefits that you hear about: those who play sport are less likely to experience a teen pregnancy or do drugs, more likely to graduate from high school and get better grades, etc. When you respect yourself, you take care of yourself.
Blank value slate
Not so with values. Sport is not inherently good or bad. There is nothing particularly good or bad about a player throwing an air-filled leather bladder through an empty ring set exactly 10 feet off the earth. There is nothing good or bad about being the blue and white team or the red and black team.
How players behave in sport - whether they follow the rules, treat their opponents with respect, are generous with their acknowledgement of the skills of others…all of these things are a function of their values.
Who designs this value learning environment?
The coach is the person who holds the carrot of participation. You choose who to allow to play. If a player wishes to play, he or she must follow your rules of behavior as well as performance.
Every player reflects the values of his or her coach.
It is the coach who will require that an opponent who falls be helped to his or her feet.
It is the coach who will require that hands be shaked after a game. It is the coach who will applaud the good play of an opponent and be emulated by his or her players. It is the coach who allows a player to do violence to an opponent or to exhibit disrespect.
Values of former coaches?
Many times coaches do not think of their responsibility. We simply coach like those coaches who have coached us in the past, especially the ones that taught us well.
Often we do not think of the values that went along with the skill teaching.
Our values?
What are your values?
What values are you transmitting to your players. Whatever they are, they will be held onto for a lifetime. They will coach and teach and treat others as you coach them.
This is a tremendous personal responsibility
II. 10 CHALLENGES…for people who care about kids.
How do we fill in the blank value slate on the playing fields of sport?

#1 Sport Must Be Fun

Fun = skill + respect + encouragement
Skill because it is no fun to strike out three times in a row or swing your leg at a soccer ball and miss it
Respect because it is no fun when a player is demeaned or ridiculed
Encouraged because it is no fun when a player is constantly criticized
Every day coaches must ask themselves whether they are creating an environment that is chock full of these three things
Constant activity = skill
Time on task. How many times are my players repeating the skills I want them to learn?
As much as a coach would like to think that a skill is learned because he or she has explained it so well, most learning comes from trial and error. The more opportunities we give a player to practice, the more they will determine how to get the desired result…we just help along the way in their process of figuring it out.
Eliminate terror, threats, negatives
There is no place for terror or threats in the teaching of others
Separate self worth & performance - put errors in perspective
We must constantly remind our players that a bad game, a poor practice, an error does not mean that he or she is a bad person.
We must always explain the different between performance and self worth.
#2 Keeping Winning & Losing In Perspective
Opponent as respected facilitator
Who provokes us to do better? Answer: Our opponent. Ultimately, sport is a test between two players or teams and they set the standard to win for each other. Our opponents draw out the best from us and should be respected for that.
Every coach has a responsibility to point out this fact to their players.
Every coach has a responsibility to demand that players respect their opponents. There is never a justification for a coach to depict opponents as enemies or people who should be hurt or disrespected.
Fair contest = evenly matched opponents
It is the coach's responsibility to design fair contests. To choose a selection of players or opponents that results in a fair contest. Players don't learn very much when they beat a poor opponent 50-1.
Winning against a poor opponent
When you win against a poor opponent, you learn very little. You learn that you are better than an opponent who is not very good.
Losing to a good opponent
When you lose to a good opponent, you learn a great deal. You learn the difference between losing and having won. You learn what it takes to win.
Would you rather lose a game of tennis playing against Venus Williams than win a game playing against a unskilled player?
Personal best as standard
Every coach has the obligation to teach players that what really matters is improving your personal best…improving your personal performance.
We must create measures of personal performance that make this clear to our players…numbers of aces, numbers of errors, best times, etc.
#3 The Gift of Skill
Skill = trial and error repetition
Great players never talk about the time they spent practicing. They always talk in numbers. "I hit 500 backhands, 500 forehands, 150 top spin serves.
Repetition creates consistence performance and excellence in performance.
Kids as teachers = gift of understanding…checklists
Many coaches think that it is their responsibility to create players. That players are nothing without them. Our responsibility is just the opposite. We have a responsibility to create players who are all they could be without us.
When a player enters the playing field, he or she cannot take a coach along. They must think and do themselves. Thus, our responsibility is to transfer the gift of knowledge. We must create checklists in their minds. They need to walk away from their experience knowing everything we know and being able to teach others.
Imitation important to learning
We cannot teach in a vacuum and expect them to visualize what we expect of them. We must take them to see good players and good performances.
Much of what we learn comes through emulation and imitation.
Watching the more highly skilled
Watching the highly skilled does two things: (1) it places an image alongside knowledge…a picture and a caption…which makes skills or concepts easier to grasp and (2) it provides inspiration, "I want to be like Mike" or "I want to be like Venus".
We must create these opportunities for our players…watching film, watching video, watching live contests…
#4 Finding the Right Sport
Over 100 sports out there
Coaches often identify highly skilled athletes and convince them to play their sport. We must never forget that there are over 100 sports out there and one is just right for the body type, skill and interest of a player. It is our responsibility to help players identify the sport that is just right for them.
Our desire to assemble a good team cannot dictate what might be best for each player. We need to think beyond our well being and take an unbiased look at the needs of our players.
Commit to skill learning/success experience before quitting
This doesn't mean that players should be allowed to quit at any time or if they are not successful immediately
Parents and coaches should ask players to commit to the new sport until they have their first success experience. Players quit when they aren't having fun and oftentimes it is because they haven't learned the skills well enough to experience success.
Make the deal before you play
Get a commitment from each player before you start. Explain why you want this promise. Explain the importance of a success experience to having fun and determining whether this sport is for you.
#5 Involve/Teach Parents
Explain rules of "classroom"
-- positive reinforcement
-- skill words (not judgement)
-- perspective
-- sportsmanship


There are those who believe that the best place for parents is not in sport; that they are negative forces. We must think just the opposite. We have an obligation to teach them to be positive forces. We must ask them to behave as if they entered the English classroom and were watching their children learn. We must ask them to be positive forces. We must ask them to help their children do homework.
Have athlete teach parent to watch for skill cues
We must work to have the athlete and the parent understand that there is a checklist to watch for in every skill and that the parent can be a child's mirror.
The best situation is to have the child teach the parent the checklist and to explain to the parent how he or she can help.
#6 Responsibility as Discipline
Carrot of participation
The coach has the ultimate power to get a player to focus on their behavior - the carrot of participation. If a player behaves poorly, he or she can be taken out of the game…not for punishment but for having the time to focus on correcting behaviors and attitudes
Replace punishment with time out for thinking and solving
There is great value in the concept of "time out" as a means of imposing discipline.
Make sure your player understands that the time out is limited to that period in which it takes the player to figure it out themselves.
Player indicating readiness to return…coach chooses timing
The coach chooses the timing re: when a player can have the conversation necessary to exact his or her return to the game - which must be explained. You have responsibilities to other players. Maybe you don't get the chance to talk until after the game or a time out.
But a player should not return until he or she has accepted responsibility and demonstrated that he or she understands how to correct the behavior and what is expected.
Teach player acceptance of responsibility with questions
Coaches should not "tell", they should "ask" a player if he or she understands why participation has been removed. It is only in this process that the coach can determine whether the player truly understands expectations.
#7 Constant Repetition of Value Messages
How you play is who you are
- cheat = dishonest
- argue calls = whiner
- drugs = cheat/no respect for body


Coaches need to constantly repeat this mantra…"How you play is who you are." "How you play is how people will judge you." "How you play is a reflection of who you are as a person." "How do you want people to think of you?"
Deliver value messages in a non-judgmental, matter of fact way… no anger
Value learning is tough stuff. It's important for coaches to separate performance and self-worth in the way they criticize. It is hard for players to believe that you are not criticizing their worth when you are angry.
Say it..silence=acceptance
If you don't comment on poor performance or poor behavior you are saying it is okay. You are accepting it. You must speak out.
#8 Embrace Diversity
Recognize dangers of sport history
- sport/position race segregation
- denigration/limitations of females


Our society has a history of discrimination in sport - against females, racial minorities and the disabled
It is our responsibility to recognize and correct this in our small worlds…on our teams..in our neighborhoods
Look around you and see if there is diversity on your team.
What are you going to do about it?
Are minority players playing the skill position?
Colors of team reflects values
We must do as we say…talk is cheap…we need to fix it.
Neighborhood/socio-economic class, race, ethnicity
We can't look for excuses. There are no persons of color in my neighborhood. We need to figure out how to play those teams or attract those players.
Coach brings bias - recognize yours
All of us have bias that reflect the environment in which we were brought up. It is our job to recognize those bias and create a better world for our players.
#9 Good People=Good Program
Selection/retention of coaches/assistants (teachers) is the most important thing you do
You must select people who can teach skills and values. They are inseparable.
Do not tolerate bad people…no matter how many wins
We all know stories about parents who will hire coaches who may even be sexual predators or have a history or unethical behavior if that coach will bring a national championship or Olympic opportunity to the team. This cannot happen if we really care about our children.
Hold all coaches to standards…write it down, sign it
There should be written behavioral and ethical standards for coaches. They should be handed to them in writing and be asked to sign on the dotted line that they understand their responsibilities.
#10 Teach Heroes
Challenge players to be role models - from day 1
On the first day you meet your players, you must explain that younger kids will be watching and emulating them. You must explain their responsibilities and challenge them to be role models and heroes.
Teach generosity
Insisting on saying it's okay when a teammate commits an error or complimenting an opponent on a great play is teaching generosity. This is our responsibility.
Teach pressure=fun
Create situations every day where your players fantasize themselves in a pressure situation. Bases loaded with no one out. Can you rise to the occasion? The more situations and practice you create, the more likely it is that the real situation will not be intimidating; that it will be "been there, done that!"
Teach confidence/humility...suave
The illusion of confidence is as important as the reality of confidence.
You can practice looking confident.
You can practice acting confident.
Pretty soon, it becomes confidence.
Like anything else, repetition is the key to performance.
Generosity, pressure, repetition, confidence, humility…being suave…You can create heroes!