There is one type of athlete that drives coaches up the wall. It’s the athlete who seems to possess all the natural talent in the world but doesn’t seem to care. When these athletes wish to, they give stellar performances. Even on off days, they are better than average. They break training rules, don’t go full out in practice, and just have a bad attitude. But they can flat out play – when they want to. These athletes are the “could have been greats” of the world. They appear to be mysteries but they are not. They all share a common trait. They are scared! Scared to see how good they can be. Their main crutch is their attitude. When they succeed, they do it with half effort. When they fail, they say a full effort was not made. Their greatest reward is not winning a team championship; it’s getting attention for their “I do it my way” attitude. It is always amazing to me that these types of people seem to choose team sports such as softball vs. golf for example. Problem athletes can affect the team environment in so many ways, such as the locker room, on the field and off the field. That would not be the case in golf as you are the lone ranger and no one to affect but yourself. I have always appreciated the team sports due to the moving parts that are associated with success. One of those parts is the affect a bad attitude can have on the team culture. It is the young players that are easily influenced by these types of players that can become dangerous to the team culture. We are constantly hearing about the lack of leadership in today’s youth but ultimately what will have a larger affect on your program is the athlete that leads players down the wrong road. Over the years, I have come to cherish the many players that I have coached who had the ultimate package – great athlete with a great attitude! It is so obvious as I look back to see the positive influence they had on the team culture and confirms the reason why they were so successful both individually and as a team. As coaches, we must reward positive behavior and not tolerate negative behavior. Our role as coaches, parents, or teammates is to help young people grow and mature. This process in my eyes takes discipline, communication, positive relationships, and ultimately consequences for their actions. You can pick up the newspaper just about every week and find examples of these types of people who even at the professional level, making millions, cannot understand that ultimately; there will be consequences for their actions. The problem lies in our sport culture rewarding talent by helping them get by in life from the youth level to college because they are talented and never hold them accountable for their actions. Then one day, that athlete is held accountable for their actions and finally learns a lesson the hard way. Our job is to teach that lesson as early as possible and create a positive team player for life. Coach Mike Candrea, University of Arizona
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 16:00:06 +0000
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