Category: Coaching
Type: Philosophy
HOW TO INSTANTLY RAISE THE LEVEL OF YOUR PROGRAM
Recently, Southern Illinois pulled a big upset in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. After the game, Coach Bruce Weber said this: "We set a goal -- it sounded crazy back in the spring -- to make the Sweet 16." Lo and behold, the dream came true, giving a perfect illustration of how to raise the level of your program -- dream big dreams. The moment Weber's team set such a high goal, the players knew that they would have to give more, practice harder, approach the game with more focus, and prepare for more difficult opponents. The mind is the world's greatest machine -- just give it the information on what you want to achieve, and it will instantly go to work on the process.
So in order to instantly raise the level of your program, set a goal. The goal must be difficult enough to be challenging, but not so ridiculous that the athletes will brush it off. (For example, no high school team will be beating the Olympic team any time soon.) To make the process even stronger, have your team agree on a mental picture of what you're trying to achieve. Maybe it's the image of a trophy, or of an empty bracket with your team's name on it. Maybe it's a number. Remember last year's Stanley Cup playoffs? Ray Bourque of the Colorado Avalanche wore a cap that said "16 W." That was to signify that his team needed 16 wins for the championship. You know what? They got them!
Mike Tully is a coach with "Yes, I Can!" volleyball. You can write to him at edgetully@aol.com or listen to his daily Pep Talk hotline message at (973) 773-4532. You can visit the "Yes, I Can!" Web site at www.yesicansports.com. There you can also check out a free daily motivational message, and hear about a free newsletter from "Yes, I Can!"
Submitted by: Mike Tully
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