Posted on Monday, 24th May 2010 by Wade Salem
Almost every single issue we deal with today is a character issue-good or bad. In today’s world we hire people for skills and then fire them because of character. The same can be said of sports. Today, talent is not enough because skill without character just develops mediocrity. Combining character and skill develop excellence. It’s time to focus on the intangibles, the “inside stuff,” which makes the difference in our players’ performance, and in their lives.
Character comes from a Greek word meaning “to scratch or engrave”; “the qualities or features that make up and distinguish an individual.” Most coaches know the importance of character but long for a game plan and practical tools to develop it in their players. Remember, sport doesn’t develop character, a coach develops character. Each season is an incredible opportunity to “scratch and engrave” into your players the character qualities they need to improve performance, attitude and heart.
This week, take action and think of two character qualities or CQs’ like perseverance and optimism that you would want your players to demonstrate on and off the field or court. Look up, write down and take these definitions with you to practice. Initiate your practice by explaining each CQ and its definition. Explain to your players where the game demands them to demonstrate that CQ. Then recognize it, respond to it and reward it. Take the opportunity to also educate them on how to find situations outside of sports to apply these same character qualities to personal and family life scenarios.
As coaches, we need to remind ourselves that behind every skill we are teaching there are character qualities that can be developed to yield the performance we are looking for. Be proactive in recognizing and matching character qualities to athletic abilities. Help your team understand how to apply them to both sporting events and personal life situations.
I received an email from a high school coach who started to focus on the “Inside Stuff” and incorporated character qualities into his coaching regime. The following season, that team went undefeated and advanced deep into the playoffs. They fell one game short of the State championship. At the banquet, a very impressed parent stood up and said to the coaching staff, “we gave you 48 boys and you returned 48 young men.” The coaches realized that they in fact had transformed lives through sports. This coach and his staff realized the significance of coaching the “Inside Stuff.
Wade Salem is the Founder of Coaching 4 Life and Author of C4L Character Quality Curriculums. Click here to learn more about ready-to-use character quality coaching programs coaching youth sports He comes from a coaching family and has worked for over a decade with hundreds of coaches and teams from colleges, schools, sports facilities and pro camps. The C4L mission is to coach coaches on how to develop the “Complete Player.
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