Not many coaches escape a season, let alone one game or practice, without addressing a player’s behavior problem. How often have you spent time trying to get one or two players to pay attention while the rest of the team waits?
Too often, behavior problems consume a coach’s time, reducing opportunities to teach strategy, tactics, skills and life lessons. That reduces the chance for success on the scoreboard, makes practices and games less fun, and can drive parents and athletes away from your team, program or even youth sports in general.
However, Responsible Coaches can address behavior problems in ways that minimize impact on practices and games while also reemphasizing team goals and objectives. Here are a few approaches to consider.
1) Reward what you want, not what you do not want. This is not as simple as it sounds, because coaches are used to thinking that we add value primarily by correcting. But if, for example, you call the players into a huddle and a few of them straggle behind, try rewarding those who make the better effort. (“Thanks for the hustle, Billy.”) If some players seem less attentive in your huddle, point out the ones listening intently. “Jeff, I appreciate the eye-contact.”
These situations arise during game action, too. If some players complain about the officiating, and others contain their frustration, you can tell those who kept quiet that you appreciate their behavior. “Kristen, you may not have liked that call, but great job honoring the game.”
2) Ignore what you do not want. Coaches often want to quickly correct problem behavior, but negative attention toward misbehaving players can actually encourage them to continue their bad behavior. Within reason, you might try simply ignoring the misbehaving players.
Most children cannot stand being ignored, so after a few failed attempts to get your attention with poor behavior, they likely will give up. Hopefully, they will change their behavior in a way that is worth your attention.
3) When you cannot ignore, intervene in a “least-attention manner.” Sometimes you cannot ignore behavior if players are creating an unsafe condition or disrupting the entire practice. When you cannot ignore any more, you might try intervening in a way that does not give those players much attention.
If you are teaching a new move, for example, and a couple players continue chatting after you have asked them repeatedly to listen, take them aside and have them sit out the next activity until they are ready to pay attention. Try to stay calm and consistent in imposing any consequences for unacceptable actions.
If players act in a way that you feel dishonors the game during competition, removing them from the game sends a strong message that the behavior will not be tolerated. The bottom line is that you can remain calm without lowering your standards.
These three ideas may take some time to feel natural to you as a Responsible Coach. But when you stop and think about it, it’s no coincidence that effectively addressing player behavior may sometimes mean modifying your own!
