10 ways to gauge how committed your athletes really are
In the coaching profession, we are constantly trying to gauge who our most committed athletes are on the team, and most of the time it's something we're doing subconsciously. Our minds are constantly evaluating how committed guys are at practice, how much film they're watching, and if they're doing the right things off the field and in the classroom.
Well today, I came across this list of "5 things that show how committed an athlete really is," from @AllistairMcCaw and their five points perfectly sum up what we, as coaches, look for from our players on a daily basis. These five things transcend the barriers of sport and can be shared with other coaches in your building.
Building off those five things, here are five more that I would add.
6) How committed are they to the things that require no talent?
Talent and commitment are two things HIGHLY valued by coaches, yet they do not go hand in hand. Just because you're talented does not mean you're committed, and you can be committed without being talented. Being committed means mastering the things that require zero talent, like:
-Being on time
-Work ethic
-Give maximum effort
-Showing up prepared
-Doing extra before and after practice
-Being open to coaching (and sometimes criticism)
-Approaching everything with a passion
-Having a great attitude daily
-Be a master of your body language (Body language always screams, it never whispers)
-Do they take lessons learned on the field, and apply them to life?
7) Where are they looking when you address them (or addressing the team)?
Are they looking at you, listening, and open to coaching - or looking away with their body language saying something along the lines of "Yeah, yeah coach, whatever."
8) Are they attending, and contributing, at team functions that "aren't mandatory"?
Every program has events and team functions that they can't make mandatory for one reason or another, but guys committed to your program will be the ones there whether it's mandatory or not, while other will use the "not mandatory" status as a reason to not show up.
9) Do they approach practice with enthusiasm and passion rain or shine, or only on days where they feel good and the sun is out?
When it's raining horizontally and 40 degrees out, committed athletes will be the ones busting their tail, while the non-committed guys will use it as an easy excuse to cut corners and give lackluster effort.
10) How do they respond to adversity?
Committed athletes will respond to adversity as a challenge that can be overcome, not a setback that is impossible to recover from.
