Mind Over Sports » Basketball

GOOD OLE BOYISM AMONG COACHES!

mindoversports — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:57:26 +0000

I live in a mid-western community and there seems to be an unspoken rule among high school coaches here that one coach is never to say anything negative about another coach, even if that coach’s actions may be damaging the well-being of one of his or her athletes. I’ve found some coaches are what I’ve termed “blowviators” – that is, they pay lip service to caring about the welfare of kids but when it comes to stepping up to the plate and identifying a problem with another coach they seem to slither away like a shrinking violet. This is really too bad since I recently witnessed an exchange between a boys head basketball coach and one of his players where the coach refused to listen to his player’s problems and frustrations. In this particular case, I found out later that the coach has a drinking problem and even though the school principal, who I assume is aware of this, has not taken action to give the coach a leave of absence so he can get some help from the local AA Chapter. When I approached one of the local coaches about the problem he just laughed it off as if it were no big deal. I don’t know about you, but if my son were playing for a coach who constantly smelled of vodka I’d do something about it.

“THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES, BUT IN THE EXPERT THERE ARE FEW” – ZEN MASTER SUZUKI ROSHI

mindoversports — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:48:14 +0000

I’ve quoted Zen Master Suzuki Roshi because over the years while working with athletes and sports teams I’ve found there are many coaches who are not open to new ideas. Or new opportunities. In fact, many of them refuse to even have an introductory meeting with me because they believe they are “experts” when it comes to the mental aspects of sports performance. These coaches often regurgitate information they’ve learned over the years, even if that information is incorrect. Case in point: Anger. There are coaches who believe the use of anger is a great motivator, but I disagree. When you get angry, you give away your power. Some coaches believe a football player or basketball player will perform better if he or she is angry. Nothing could be further from the truth. A more appropriate approach might be that familiar phrase: “Don’t get mad, get even.”

The use of visualization is another area where many coaches are misinformed. They often teach visualization without any background knowledge regarding the fact that when athletes are encumbered with psychological baggage and unresolved issues, visualization will be ineffective. I remember I once had an encounter with a Division I football coach. He had been newly hired by the university and had just made a speech to a group of boosters. I accidentally ran into him the hallway as he was leaving and asked what he would do if he had an athlete with a personal problem. How would he handle it. He looked at me as if I was trespassing on his private turf and said curtly: “I would let my assistant coach handle it” and with that he turned and walked away. He didn’t hang around long enough for me to ask a follow-up question: “What if the athlete’s problem was with the assistant coach?” I predicted at the time that he would not be successful, and he hasn’t been.

But to be fair, there are many coaches who do not consider themselves “experts” in the arena of mental techniques and are open to new ideas and programs that will help them be successful. And as for me, I certainly don’t consider myself an expert, especially since I’m amazed at how much I learn every time I counsel an athlete or conduct a self-esteem building workshop or visualization seminar. We never stop learning, and those who do are destined to fail.

WHEN PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES ARE LIVING A LIE, IT WILL NEGATIVELY AFFECT THEIR PERFORMANCE IN THEIR SPORT. SAME FOR COACHES.

mindoversports — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:44:33 +0000

When Tiger Woods was going through his difficulty regarding his extra-marital affairs, former NFL running back Eddie George, when asked what percentage of NFL players, in his opinion, we’re having extra-marital affairs, he replied: Ninety Per Cent. If this is true, that means 90% of all NFL players are living a lie and are not performing anywhere near their skill levels. And this lie will show up in the form of fumbles, dropped passes, and missed blocks, not to mention excessive penalties. And I feel confident the percentage of NBA players is probably similar. When athletes and coaches “withhold” about having extra-marital affairs, it’s definitely lying, and it’s this lying that demeans them and lowers their feelings of self-worth creating psychological baggage that affects their ability to focus and process information. When coaches are having extra-marital affairs, it will show up in how they interact with their team members. They are generally short tempered because they have anger that is often “misdirected,” they take fewer risks when making coaching decisions, and if they make an error in judgment, they will make excuses and not accept responsibility because they fear the consequences of their being honest, such as: being fired. These coaches will often experience stress which they’ve created for themselves, and in many instances it will show up in the form of a life-threatening illness.

NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH MAKES ERROR, BUT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE HE ERRED.

mindoversports — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:33:48 +0000

It doesn’t serve any purpose to name him, but here’s what happened. His team was playing another team from the East Coast Conference and with only a few second left on the clock, his team was ahead by three points. When the other team was about to put the ball into play, instead of calling time-out and instructing his players to immediately foul the player the ball is thrown to, he allowed the opposing team to bring the ball down the court and take a 3-point desperation shot with only 1.6 seconds remaining. The shooter was completely off balance but somehow, the ball managed to go in sending the game into overtime and his team eventually lost. “We had our chances” the coach commented after the game and proceeded to make a few flimsy excuses.

What he should have said was, “You know what? I messed up and allowed the other team to take that shot instead of having one of our players foul them. It was my fault and I apologize.” But he didn’t. Which tells you a lot about the coach. It’s possible he is keeping some feelings and emotions bottled-up, resulting in his having a low sense of self-worth (self-esteem) and one of the characteristics of someone who does not feel good about themselves is: they fear the consequences of their honesty. It takes a confident coach to admit he or she made a mistake. People are very forgiving if you admit you made an error, but he didn’t do it. Or couldn’t do it. Of course, if he wasn’t even aware that he made an error in judgment, that’s even worse.

ATHLETES AND DIVORCE.

mindoversports — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:00:45 +0000

When USA Today Columnists Tom Weir and Reid Cherner wrote about Kobe Bryant’s pending divorce (“Ringing in the season with Kobe”) and other celebrity divorces, what they don’t realize is that divorce represents a major “unresolved issue” in an athlete’s life and once that issue is resolved, and their life is back in harmony, their performance in their sport is generally elevated to a new level. Example: When the divorce of former New York Mets first basement Keith Hernandez became final on a Monday, in his next seven at-bats he hit three home runs and drove in nine. “Maybe I should get divorced every day,” he said. “I’d be broke, but I’d be in the Hall of Fame.” Daily divorce may be unnecessary, but Hernandez obviously needed to shift his focus from marital strife to baseball. And now that Tiger Woods is divorced, it appears that he’s finally getting his life in order, especially issues regarding his children. When there are children involved, divorce doesn’t end your relationship with your ex-wife, it merely transforms it. Once Tiger and his ex agree what schools the children will attend, how and when he will be able to visit them, and a myriad of other issues, his game will then be elevated to a new level. And when he finds another girlfriend, and he’s happy and his life is in harmony, he will enter a new phase in his life and you will see an even more successful Tiger Woods. He will start winning tournaments like mad. And judging from his recent performance, it’s possible that phase has already begun.