Letting Your Play do the Talking

A big part of coaching young athletes is managing emotions. At all levels of sports, even professional, athletes get caught up in the moment and let anger or frustration get the better of them. This is especially true of youngsters and it is something you should address on your sports team website.

Kids who lose their temper in the course of the game will almost always play at a lower level, influence their teammates and reflect badly on themselves, their coach and their team. There are ways to instill a calm, focused mindset and attitude on your team. Here are a few starting places:

• Know what you can and cannot control
  Sometimes, the ball doesn’t bounce your way. Sometimes, the player you are guarding is having the game of his or her life. Those are things a player cannot control, as much as he or she would like to. There is no reason for athletes to beat themselves up over things beyond their influence. All it will likely do is compound the issue. Effort and determination can neutralize most aspects of chance during the course of a game, but not all of them - players have to accept that. If things aren’t going your kids’ way, take them aside and assure them that they are doing things right, and it will swing back in their favor if they keep working.
• Don’t retaliate - just play
  If a player on the opposing team is trash talking or getting chippy, don’t allow your athlete to respond. Encourage your team to ignore opponents’ taunts, because that will likely drive them to distraction. Sports are emotional, but the best way to get back at the other team for playing dirty is to stop them or score on them. Nothing they say can take points off the board. Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs is a perfect example. He remains completely stoic, never showing more emotion than a wide-eyed stare from time to time. As a result, he has been one of the most consistently excellent NBA players of all time.
• Support your teammates
  Sometimes, in the heat of the game, the coach can’t reach a player the way his or her teammates can. So encourage your players to recognize when someone is frustrated and take measure to calm that player down. That way, you can avoid having to stop the game or take the player out.

Sports are always emotional, especially for kids, so use your team websites to teach them how to manage their anger.