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Coaching Tips from Phil Jackson
PCA National Spokesperson Phil Jackson with PCA Founder Jim Thompson, PCA Board Member and event host Karen Francis, and PCA Associate Director Tina Syer | A big advantage of being
part of the PCA Movement is the chance to
learn from some of the best (and most positive) coaches in the world.
Recently Los Angeles Lakers Coach and PCA National Spokesperson Phil
Jackson shared some of his insights about getting the best out
of his players with a group of PCA supporters.
Click here to see video clips from the PCA evening with Phil Jackson
and hear some of Phil's insights. Although he talks about the
pro athletes he has coached, Phil's advice
also applies to coaching youth sports. For example, during timeouts,
while he takes a moment to discuss strategy with his assistants, he lets
players find "a safe spot, a rooted spot" from which they can best
perform when they return to the court. You'll be amazed at Shaquille O'Neal's response to this approach, and you may be even more amazed if
you take the same approach with your players.
Such insights find their way into PCA's live, group workshops as well as our
online coaching and parenting courses, books, website and newsletters.
PCA thanks Karen Francis and Rick DeGolia for making the Chalk Talk
possible; we thank Phil Jackson for being so generous with his time, spirit and
insights; and we thank you for taking some Phil's ideas back to the youth
athletes you are developing as players and as people. |
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Roger Barta: Profile of a Double-Goal Coach
 In celebration of the 2010 winners of PCA's Double-Goal Coach Award
Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, PCA
Connector will occasionally profile these coaches. First up is
Roger Barta, Head Football Coach at Smith Center (Kan.) High School.
Joe Drape, a sportswriter for The New York Times, nominated Barta after writing about his program
in Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the
Plains with the Smith Center Redmen. Wrote Drape in his nomination letter for
Barta: "He's the most inspiring coach I've ever been around in 25 years of
sports journalism."
The nomination arrived just before the end of Smith Center's 79-game winning
streak. Reading Our Boys gives you
deep insight into Barta, and this small taste from Drape's essay in The New York Times after the streak ended provides a fascinating
glimpse into a true Double-Goal Coach and a wonderful example of an entire
community (players, coaches, fans) knowing what it means to Honor the Game!
"Barta, like everyone else, knew the day would come when the streak would
end. Long after the Redmen had accepted their runner-up trophy here and
answered the questions from reporters about how it felt to lose for the first
time, Barta addressed his team in a locker room overflowing with fathers,
grandfathers and former players, all of whom were holding hands. It has long
been one of his signature practices.
"Nobody hang their heads in here," Barta said. "We have lined up 80 times
against teams, and finally one of them got us in a game that is going to go
down there in the history books. They were a play better than us today.
"We've never judged ourselves on wins and losses. We've measured ourselves
on whether we have been there for each other," he continued. "You guys have
been there along. What you and those who came before you have achieved over 79
games is something a lot of schools in America would like to say they have
done."
In PCA workshops we talk about Honoring-the-Game crunch time in which
coaches will have the opportunity to show what they are made of. We know what Roger Barta is made of and PCA
and Liberty Mutual Insurance are proud to honor him as a Double-Goal Coach national
winner for 2010. |
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Ask PCA: Advice on U-8 Co-Ed Sports
Thanks for your responses to last week's "Ask PCA" question about players resenting a highly-praised teammate. You can scroll down to read PCA's response, but, for now, consider this week's question:
Advice on U-8 Co-Ed Sports
"In our U-8 league, we are considering co-ed play so that we can include the girls who want to play. Is that age-appropriate? And should there be rules about how many girls are on the field at once for each team?"
-- Name Withheld by Request
Click here to comment on this topic on the "Ask PCA" blog.
Following is the previous "Ask PCA" question and PCA's response:
"I am a newbie
assistant coach of my son's 5th- and 6th-grade lacrosse team, working
with a very experienced head coach. He frequently singles out for praise
one player, who performs very well and deserves much praise, but seems
to get an inordinate amount. My son and some of his teammates are
starting to express resentment of the player getting all this praise,
including some barbs at that player's expense. As a coach and parent,
how can I handle this with my son, all his teammates and the head
coach?"
PCA Response by Eric Eisendrath, Lead Trainer-New York
Your first step should be to look for an opening to talk privately with the head coach about the
need to reinforce all the players. That conversation will not be easy, but if done in a positive, respectful way, it could help the head coach see
his negative impact on all his players and, hopefully, change.
Also, as an assistant coach, even a self-professed "newbie," you still have a
voice. I hope for your players' sakes, and for the sake of your own
development as a coach, that you use that voice to praise other players.
At some point, you will want to assert yourself so that you are
contributing all you can to your team and so that you prevent escalation
of the dissension within your team. More positive voices in more
players' ears, regardless of the level of your sport expertise, will
have positive effects.
The PCA principle of Filling Emotional Tanks, striving for the "Magic
Ratio" of five specific, truthful praises to every one specific,
constructive criticism, will improve your players' performance. Improved
performance alone will give you more credence as a coach, again
regardless of how your length of service compares with the head coach.
Even as a "newbie" you can credibly deliver such praise as "Did you see
the great job by Jimmy scooping up that ground ball? Wow,
he has made so much progress this season. He's really working hard!"
Your praise of other players also may single-handedly defuse the
dissension you describe. It may not take much to stop the players'
barbs. Your players will notice the difference in tone around the team,
and they will appreciate your effort, attach to you and be more open to
corrections from you and the head coach. The head coach also may begin
to notice and praise the other players' efforts, especially when he sees
your praise contribute to improved performance.
As a parent, I hope you work hard to help your son process his emotions
around this situation. While his frustration is understandable, you can
help him see value in his own performance, without the need for praise
from this
coach. Make it clear that you love and support him, and recognize his
efforts on the field. Encourage him to take pride in his own
achievements, regardless of whether or not he earns the head coach's
praise.
Read all the Ask PCA blog comments on this question.
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Coaching Tip: Coaching Players of Wildly Varying Abilities
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Following is one of the ten case studies in The Power of Double Goal Coaching, the latest book by PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson. Wildly Varying AbilitiesYou have a wide range of ability on your team. A couple of
players ares tars and could compete well in a higher age group. Many players
are average and a few are very raw. You've noticed the better players criticizing
weaker ones. How do you forge these players of wildly varying abilities into a
real team?
Much of American youth sports seems determined to emulate
the old East German system and channel players by ability as early as possible.
Nonetheless, almost every team at every level has players of differing abilities,
and the best coaches get good production from their "role players." Here are
some ideas for building this group into a real team.
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Set team goals. The best team-builder is a goal that
excites every member of the team. Think about a goal (like winning a league
title or being the hardest-working team in the league) that is a just-right challenge
for the team. When superstars see that every team member is required to achieve
the goal, they'll be more likely to support the other players.
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Preach the message of the Home Team Advantage. Emphasize
the importance of filling E-Tanks to get teammates to perform their best.
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Get your top players to lead. Stanford women's basketball
coach Tara VanDerveer once told me the key to a hard-working team: "The best players
have to be the hardest workers." Convince your best players of this, and they
will set a standard for the entire team.
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Enlist your best players as teachers. Tell them if they
learn something well enough to teach it, it will help them when they get to the
next level. Work with them before or after practice on how to teach a skill while
emphasizing their need to fill the E-Tanks of the players they are teaching.
Then have them help other players learn it. You can also get all your players
teaching each other with the following procedure.
1) Explain and
demonstrate a skill to the entire group.
2) Pair players up to
demonstrate the skill to each other. Encourage them to fill each others'
E-Tanks as they work together.
3) Intervene with
those pairs who need more instruction. Give feedback out of ear-shot of others;
the pair will be more open to it than if given in front of everyone.
4) Ask for volunteers
to demonstrate the skill in front of everyone.
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Help every player set effort goals that are "Just-Right
Challenges." If the better players are challenged, they will use their energy to
try to meet the challenge rather than putting down teammates.
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Intentionally raise the profile of "role" players. Make a
point of calling out their contributions, especially their effort, in team
conversation. Structure team conversations so you hear from everyone, not just
the stars or the most vocal players.
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