via Coach Dawn Writes:
Please join me for a fun series. My mission, and I’ve chosen to accept it, is to write a post based on each letter of the alphabet. The English major inside of me is very excited about this project…and my inner nerd is even more fired up! Keep checking back as I tackle the intangibles of sport…from A to Z.
I’ve always talked to my teams about being process-driven rather than outcome-driven, of course believing that if we adhere to the process…the outcome will be one in our favor. If I’m successful, they will focus less on the scoreboard or the wins and losses, and more on the path to get there: hard work, focused practices, being competitively great.
I have the same viewpoint of working with female athletes. Much like we give the team a game plan (process) for shutting down an opponent’s strongest player (outcome), we’ve got to have a strategy for equipping our female athletes for success. So that’s what I’ll talk about here with you today. What’s our desired outcome? What goals would we like to achieve with our players?
Four fabulous outcomes of working with female athletes
- Teamy teams. Teamy is a word I made up to describe the state of an individual who values their teammates and enjoys being in a team environment. The teamy player puts their teammates first and is willing to sacrifice personal glory for the good of the team. Teaminess is what occurs when a group of people come together with a common goal, a common purpose, and a common level of dedication.
- Confident players. Confidence is essential to any sort of success your team may have…and it’s got to be consistent. Situational confidence is based on a specific performance and is short-lived, to be crushed by the next loss or poor performance. But genuine confidence? Now that’s the good stuff! It is a belief the athlete holds deep down within themselves that they will ultimately be successful....
