These 5 Concepts apply to coaches and players. Always remember that your team’s attitude, body language, and overall vibe is a reflection of how they are being coached. Always lead by example.
5 Concepts in Developing a Winning Mentality
1. Have a Positive Attitude
Having a positive attitude is a choice. If you have a positive attitude it will translate into success on the football field. I will always push my players, parents, and coaches to have a positive attitude. Again, it is an individual choice, but when the coaches are positive it will rub off on the players. Staying positive is sometimes difficult and it takes some time to really train the human mind to be optimistic. However, as far as coaching goes, I will always create a positive environment and I demand that my players and coaches always remain positive. I demand that my coaches always communicate positivity to our players whether they really feel positive or not. Creating a positive/ optimistic environment will make football more enjoyable and it will enhance mental health and well-being.
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2. Always Strive to Improve
Winners are always pursuing ways to get better. No matter how good you are as a player or coach, there are always ways you can get better. The good players will spend the offseason playing other sports, working out, and being active, while others will spend the offseason playing fortnite. Consistent winners all have one thing in common- they have a relentless desire for perfection and for improvement. This past season we had the top scoring offense in the league, we went on and won our conference and then won our regional tournament. I spent a ton of time this offseason breaking down every single play from last season. I knew we were good offensively, but I found several things that need to be fix, both schematically and coaching wise. This is something we are going to be cleaning up in the 2019 season. The pursuit of being great at what you do is a never ending process.
3. Work Ethic
I know, this is obvious, but it’s true. Coaches and players that win consistently all have great work ethic. It’s not easy being successful, whether it is in football or in life. You have to get up everyday and focus on improving. I try to learn something new every single day. I focus on learning something new in regards to football and something new in regards to my career. I focus on working hard as a coach and demanding my players to work hard as well. At the end of the day, if coaches are lazy and have weak energy, then their players will be lazy and have weak energy. As fair as football goes, I will grade my practices. I grade player Effort, Attitude, and Toughness. We call it the EAT mentality. I will also grade my staff’s performance, effort, and energy as well. At the end of the day you need to push yourself to work hard every single day. Without work ethic, success is much more difficult.
4. Challenge Yourself
Sometimes the only way to get better is to challenge yourself. Winners are always exceeding expectations. True winners enjoy their success, but know that being comfortable and satisfied will lead to complacency, so they will always work to improve and challenge themselves. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone is a critical element of success. Life as well as competitive sports are difficult. When you consistently take yourself out of your comfort zone you will become more resilient and able to handle difficult situations, both in life and on the football field. Challenging yourself will increase mental toughness and we all know that to be success in football, coaches and players need to be mentally tough. If you are always challenging yourself, you will be ready to take on any other challenge that comes your way.
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5. Capitalize on Opportunities
The most successful people I know do a really good job of seizing all the opportunities that present themselves. Winners are always prepared and ready to seize opportunities when those opportunities arrive. Winners stay ready so they don’t have to get ready. Everyday is a chance for us to seize the day. Everyday that you wake up you are presented with an opportunity to win the day. Winners will more times than not, will make the most of any opportunity to be successful. Just as in life, a football practice will present your players with an opportunity to get better, winners capitalize on those opportunities. The fact of the matter is that a winner will recognize the opportunity and capitalize.