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Positive Coaching Alliance Connector
June 24, 2010
David Jacobson, Editor |
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PCA Expands Chicago Operations
On June 21, Chicago became the fourth city with a PCA local board, following Houston, Dallas and Sacramento.
"PCA has a long history in Chicago, and the PCA-Chicago Board will take the PCA Movement to a new level here," said PCA Director of Business Development David Shapiro.
This expansion in Chicago was made possible by a three-year challenge grant from David Weekley, CEO of David Weekley Homes. The PCA-Chicago Board will be responsible for matching this seed funding and putting the PCA-Chicago office on a self-sufficient basis within four years.
"We are grateful to David Weekley and the Morgan Family Foundation, which helped support the infrastructure needed to make this happen," said PCA Founder Jim Thompson.
PCA-Chicago Board Member Peter Steinhauser noted: "The commitment to a well-defined business model, the clarity of the goals and the quality of the people being assembled is exciting and will generate great results for PCA."
The PCA-Chicago Board of Directors (L. to R.): Jim Coffman, Larry Stewart, Gillian Darlow, Peter Steinhauser, Scott Shimamoto, Don Sweeney, Tracey Benford, Greg Shannon and Kevin Collins, with PCA's Jim Thompson, David Shapiro, Jacob Weiler and Jason Sacks. Not pictured: Robin Voight and Louis Hobson.  | |
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Coaching Tip: Targeted Symbolic Rewards
A problem with rewards is that they can undercut a player's internal motivation. PCA's tool, Targeted Symbolic Rewards, is designed to reinforce behaviors you want to see in a way that reinforces internal motivation.
You Target the reward to the behavior you want to see. The reward is Symbolic in that it has meaning in the context of the team (e.g., "Dirty Shirt Award," stickers for helmet, etc.) but is not something that has value in itself (money, etc.).
For example, if you want your players to hustle back on defense more, you recognize a couple of players who did that, which focuses other players' attention on what they need to do to get recognized the next time.
This also gives you the chance to recognize unsung players to keep them committed to the team and feeling appreciated for their willingness to work hard on improving and filling needed, but unglamorous roles. Whatever behavior you want to see more of can be the focus of a Targeted Symbolic Reward.
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World Cup Lessons for Coaches, Parents and Players
If you didn't believe in karma when World Cup Finals began, it may be time to reconsider. How else to explain the futility of France and the thrilling last-minute advance of the U.S.?
If what goes 'round, comes 'round, France should have started looking over its shoulder soon after Thierry Henry's blatant handball helped his team to an undeserved spot in the tournament. Once there, Les Bleus refused to practice, when players mutinied against their coach, Raymond Domenech, who for his own part, refused a post-game handshake with South African coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.
The life lesson here? If you don't believe France's downfall itself is karmic, you still might join billions of other soccer fans around the world, who delighted in France's fate for persistently failing to Honor the Game!
As for the U.S. escaping the brink of elimination to win its group, what but karma could explain Landon Donovan's 91st-minute goal against Algeria? After all, referees had inexplicably disallowed the two previous U.S. goals -- one against Algeria and one against Slovenia -- that would have secured a place in the round of 16.
Not that the U.S. squad exemplified Honoring the Game in the midst of the Slovenia match, but apparently they did follow the advice of PCA National Advisory Board Member Alexi Lalas, whose post-game commentary on TV suggested that players overcome their misfortune, realize they were still very much alive and pour their effort into preparing for Algeria.
Youth coaches, parents and players watching the Slovenia and Algeria games also could take the life lesson that it's "good karma" to avoid spending energy on things you can't control and to always be ready for the next play.
-- David Jacobson, Marketing Communications Manager
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Ask PCA: Coaches Using Stalling Tactics
Thanks for your responses to last week's question about scheduling conflicts. Opinion was nearly split about the life lessons that can be learned from commitment vs. the need for a balance of activities.
To review last week's question and PCA's answer, you can continue scrolling through this item, but for now, consider this week's question:
Are Stalling Tactics OK?
"Opposing softball coaches whose teams are ahead in a game sometimes stall in various legal ways, such as needlessly changing pitchers, tying shoes, calling time outs to discuss tying shoes, etc. In a close game, I can live with this, but some coaches stall with an eight-run lead and a pitcher shutting down the opponent. In a perfect world, such stalling strategies wouldn't happen, but in the real world, are they sometimes just part of the game? Do others feel like I do that this is more acceptable in some situations than in others?"
-- Scott Donley, Eagle Pass, TX Following is the previous "Ask PCA" question and PCA's response: "I coach seventh- and eighth-grade boys lacrosse in a competitive league. We are not an elite team -- these are all local kids from the same town -- but we do conduct tryouts. I tell families that this team should be players' primary commitment during our Spring season, meaning no other sports or activities should conflict with our practices or games. Many families agree to these rules in preseason but still sign up for other sports. Conflicts often arise and I am left in the awkward position of limiting these players' time on game day. Am I being too strict here? At this age level can I ask players to commit to one sport and one sport only?" PCA Response by Eric Eisendrath, Lead Trainer-New York
As a "travel" lacrosse coach in the Northeast as well, I completely understand where you are coming from. While I understand your desire for kids to commit to one sport, you may be trying to swim a bit upstream. A disturbing trend in youth sports is the push for kids to "specialize" in only one sport. Although I realize you are asking for a commitment "in season," not 365 days, PCA supports playing multiple sports. Thus, my advice is to err on the side of kids playing more than one sport.
However, PCA also values using sports to teach life lessons about commitment, which leads me to my second answer. Life is full of choices, and based on your players choosing to partake in other activities, which compromises their commitment to the team, it is fair and logical for them to face the consequences of their choices. Thus, it is understandable that you reward the most committed players by giving them the most playing time.
This approach supports your team culture of effort and commitment. Nothing would undermine this message more than playing someone who misses practice over someone who attends every practice. Reward the behavior you want to see, and your culture will be strengthened. This approach also might persuade players to deepen their commitment to your team, with the added benefit that their commitment is by their choice, not your mandate.
Some tolerance surrounding this issue tends to work in your favor. Players are better able to find out which sport they enjoy, plus it allows you the opportunity to carry more players and give more meaningful playing time.
Read all the Ask PCA blog comments on this question.
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PCA, Pop Warner Honor Coaches
PCA and national partner Pop Warner Little Scholars recently gave Pop Warner National Double-Goal Coach� of the Year Awards to two deserving honorees.
Congratulations to Gigi Betancourt, cheer coach for Southern California's La Costa Canyon Pop Warner Golden Mavericks, and Matt Hoops, football coach of the North Kansas City (MO) Wildcats.
PCA Partner Development Associate Carter Jordan presented the coaches their awards at the Pop Warner Inaugural Convention and 50th Anniversary All-American Scholar Banquet in Philadelphia.
According to a nomination letter on Betancourt's behalf, "Coach Gigi always has a kind word and smile for everyone...always tries to be helpful and constructive. Gigi has coached with a firm hand and lots of laughter and fun. Her contribution to our girls and their families is immeasurable, taking us through a fantastic football/cheer season, then to cheer championships all the way to winning 4th place at cheer Nationals in Orlando."
Meanwhile, Hoops' nominator wrote, "What has set Coach Hoops apart is drastically more important than wins and losses. Coach Hoops cares with every fiber of his being. He allowed me the opportunity to be part of a team and a unique family atmosphere because of the lessons he taught me in giving your all, treating others with respect, how to conduct yourself, how to believe in yourself and doing what is best for the group. Because of those life lessons, I was able to have a very successful high school football career, a college degree, an Emmy nomination and a very promising sports broadcasting career. All from some simple lessons I learned as a child from Coach Hoops. If that isn't the definition of what a Coach should be, then I really don't know what is."
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PCA's Pruszynski Leads Team to State Title
We know Double-Goal Coaching works, and we had that happily reinforced in an up-close-and-personal way when PCA's Milwaukee-based Account Manager and Marquette University High School Lacrosse Coach Rich Pruszynski recently led his team to a state championship.
En route, Rich (at left in above photo) and his team had to get past conference rival Arrowhead High School, which had eliminated Marquette in the two previous post-seasons. The Arrowhead game called upon all of Rich's PCA knowledge and experience, as his team trailed 9-2 at halftime.
"We had a very calm halftime discussion," he recalls. "We scored three goals in the third quarter, they called time, and that gave me the chance to fire up our guys. As a teacher, even before I joined PCA, I was big on positive reinforcement and thought it was important to learn life lessons and have fun...with a purpose."
Marquette finished the game with eight unanswered goals and a 10-9 win. Leading up to the semi-final and championship games, Rich continued using PCA techniques.
"We do a lot of Emotional Tank work," he says. "We use a buddy system for players to fill each others' tanks, and I purposefully mismatch players -- a quiet guy with a boisterous guy, players of different skill levels, etc. We also have a lot of 'Tree Talks,' where we sit under the one tree near our practice field, talk about goals and expectations and do the breathing exercises we learned from Chris McLachlin, an assistant coach on the NCAA Champion Stanford Men's Volleyball Team."
"Our kids don't fit the pre-conceived notion of what great athletes look like. In stature, they're small. But they have a positive, competitive demeanor. Many of them are multi-sport athletes and out-muscle teams mentally."
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Support PCA
PCA is a non-profit committed to transforming youth sports so that all athletes through high school age can benefit from the life lessons that are uniquely available through sports.
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