Monday Motivational Tip of the Day
Playing with pressure begins with the coach
Having played and watched sports for a number of years, I often notice that coaches panic way before players do.
As talked about in previous posts, negative motivation exists as well as positive motivation. Following is a case of negative motivation that deters players from doing their best.
You may have noticed that some baseball teams win many of the close games, whereas others seem to lose many of the close ones. Winning teams stay cool under pressure; they welcome the challenge, while losing teams shy away from the pressure of close games. Why does that happen?
One sign of a poor coach is one who panics and one that panics way before they should and before their team has begun to be nervous. When coach’s demeanor changes to one of a sense of urgency, players sense that “panic” feeling and begin to play tentatively.
Coaches, who remain cool, give their teams the best chances of playing with pressure, winning, and winning the close games. Of course, coaches, just as players, gain experience the more they coach, so they should practice keeping their cool. They will then notice their teams begin to come through in the clutch and win the close games.
