Master of the Obvious

Don't Be A Master Of The Obvious

Too many times I've seen coaches shouting across the field immediately after a player has made an obvious mistake. We've all heard parents and coaches yelling immediately after the mistake "don't dive in," "don't play the ball in front of your own goal," or "what are you doing?" Instead, coaches must offer a positive suggestion or solution to help them get back on track or save the comments for halftime or practice.

    Instruct your players in advance how to respond when a mistake is made. When a mistake is made, every players is to immediately respond with efforts to make up for the mistake. There should be no place on a successful team to finger point, blame, give up, or any other destructive behavior during the game. Players can make mental notes about various situations that take place during a game and offer suggestions on how to prevent from making the mistake in the future.

    Many situations can and should be fixed during the game. Teach players how to give and take constructive criticism from teammates. It’s important that if one chooses to give constructive criticism, it comes only after having immediately responding with efforts to make up for the mistake, and the criticism comes with a suggestion on how to prevent from making the same mistake. Most of the time players know they made a mistake and don’t someone to point it out for them. So, in most cases saying nothing or even laughing about it later, may be the best solution. Nobody appreciates a master of the obvious!