The importance of Vibe

On the sidelines of sports fields, in the columns of newspapers and out of the mouths of coaches all over, you hear talk of how the ‘spirit in the camp’ is so great, and ‘it’s so much fun to be playing in this team’. In the days of professionalism and as results of sports matches become ever more important in terms of financial impact, it can be easy to lose sight of the importance of team spirit. But there is no doubt that it has a huge influence on the way teams play.


This last weekend I went away with a rugby team that I’ll be working with this year, on a team-building weekend. This was an opportunity for the guys to bond, relax together, and be put through their paces on the rugby field. I also conducted a few sessions on mental preparation as well as facilitating their goal setting session. It was massively encouraging to hear them talk about their ‘vibe’ in the team and the respect that they have for each other being important, rather than putting figures of desired wins and uncontrollable aspects up on the list of important things. Reading an interview with Bafana Bafana Midfielder, Steven Pienaar, he spoke of the great team spirit at Everton FC and how that encourages him to stay there and seek success. So many teams seem to place an importance on this team spirit, but one wonders how much effort they put into creating that spirit, and deciding on desired team behaviours- and then sticking to them! There is no doubt that sport can create some of the greatest bonds people will ever have, but these like any relationship need to be worked on, and a team as a whole need to place extra effort into creating this special team spirit.

Why, you may ask? Surely if everyone just plays to the best of their ability the team will succeed? I believe firstly, that team spirit alone is not enough to make a team successful. It must co-exist with effective and efficient processes within the team as run by the management staff and of course the players themselves, as well as specific inspirational goals and outputs that all are aware of and can attain. The mixture, of spirit, processes and outputs all bound together by solid and strong leadership is what leads to success.

The true impact of that team spirit, I believe comes on a more subconscious level. Without doubt, it is different at a professional level where money can be a motivator for some, but I choose to look at the purest form of sport, where people undertake sacrifices, driven by their specific internal motivators to play their particular sport for no monetary gain. Some people’s driver to play and work hard in their sport is stronger than others’ but this is another subject for another day. When it comes to putting in just that slight bit of extra effort at a practice session, or sacrificing another desirable activity because of your sporting commitments - these are often determined by your perception of team spirit and togetherness. If one looks at getting more out of people than they ‘need’ to give this is often determined by their feeling of belonging to a team and this feeling is often borne out of a strong team spirit. In my opinion, so many teams train the same, think the same and have access to a similar standard of facilities, that the true variable apart from the obvious, the players ability, is the team spirit that you are able to foster causing people to push themselves that extra mile, without complaint or fear of being ridiculed. The spirit that enables people to feel so comfortable with their team mates that they are able to perform to a level that is above what they thought they were capable of, the spirit that creates an atmosphere in the team where outside criticism is not as important as internal criticism and where players take joy out of each others’ success and not just their own.

For me it is never easy to put a generic method together on how to forge this spirit, due to the variability of people, but there are some common traits that I believe can forge a good team spirit in chronological order.

1. The acknowledgement by the team, that a team spirit is important and that they’ll work hard to put in place desirable behaviours to lead to a good spirit.
2. The discussion around what is necessary to create a good spirit, and the setting of values and behaviours.
3. Strong leadership from coach and captain that keeps everyone focused and happy within the team environment. This leadership also needs to allow for people to have their say and should be caring of people’s needs.
4. An environment that encourages people to push themselves hard, but also rewards success well.
5. An environment where people are honest with each other.
6. The determination of everyone to pursue their goals, with fun being a key part of the process.

Good luck!
T

What to do now, to help later

I came up with a few ideas as to what I think school and club coaches should be doing now in preparation for the winter season ahead. Take a look!

The rugby season is all but upon us now and no doubt huge preparation has been taking place across the schools and clubs. Everyone trying to prepare their teams as best possible so as to have that dream season. I believe that there are a few things that should be done now, if they have not already been done, to make sure that the season goes as well as possible. Have a read below and feel free to give feedback.
The Target
Most coaches will try and set some goals with their teams, but whether they do this correctly or not is debatable. A lot of goals are based on results and not on the process of attaining a greater goal. I have spoken in earlier articles about the need to try and focus attention on the processes required for success and not success itself. Also, coaches should allow the team to set their own goals and to dream big dreams. These dreams are what motivates them, and they should be encouraged. Remember, something to aim at is crucial in all aspects of life and sport is no different. Also remember that if you don’t reach your target it is fine, perhaps you just need to change the process of how to reach it rather than the target itself.
Expectations
‘The Greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place’. Even if you think, as a coach that your players know what you expect from them in terms of play, and in terms of behaviours, clarify it again, and do this early so that the problems that could occur later, never do occur. Boundaries need to be established early, as do targets for each player so that they know exactly what to work towards. Proper evaluation cannot be done unless a sound expectation/job description is given at the start.
Team Building- Properly
Raft-building and drumming sessions are great ways for teams to relax, get to know each other and have some fun, but they are not team-building in its entirety. They need to be done in conjunction with quality conversations where teammates open up to each other on various issues surrounding the team. Try to engage your players on how they would react if they lose 3 games in a row, what will happen if a few guys start slacking, or as to how they will prepare for a big game. All these things start to create an honesty in the side that is crucial for true team spirit to be formed. In amateur sport, team spirit can often be attributed to the success of a team and is so crucial. Team-building should therefore not be taken lightly at all, and lots of work should be done on forming and shaping your team.
Leadership
I am convinced that this is a make-or-break area of a team. A team without solid leadership is very seldom a successful one. Ensure that you find the best captain but also that you identify other leaders in the team and give them meaningful roles. They must be seen to have an influence and you must evaluate them on their work as a leader and on their role as a player. Be careful of letting people vote for captain, as you as a coach need to be able to work with them, but also be careful of being to autocratic in selecting him and alienating your players. Think of the 5E’s of leadership when selecting your captains. Enthusiasm is a must, energy is important as a the extra work load of being captain will require extra emotional and physical energy. Empathy is crucial if you want your captain to be able to get the best out of the players. Excellent communication is also important as the messages that the captain wants to get across must actually get across and be acknowledged by all. Then lastly, excellence, the captain does not have to be the best player but he must have some outstanding quality that earns him the respect of his team.
Make up your mind
It is important that you as a coach come up with a way of playing and sell it to the players well. I believe that sometimes even if a game plan is not the best, but all the players truly believe in it, and in you, it is likely to succeed. Try to make up your mind early as to what you want as a coach and stick to that. Of course, it is necessary to be adaptable as the season goes by, but there is nothing worse than a coach who seemingly panics when things go wrong, and they probably went wrong because he had failed to plan and come up with a quality game plan early on. I have mentioned in earlier articles that to be truly great, according to Jim Collins in the book, Good to Great, you need to do things that you can be the absolute best at, and things that you are 100% passionate about. Therefore if you feel that you can be the best side in terms of fitness and skill in your league, then you must build your game around that, and not around a physical, defence-oriented game or another that looks great on paper, but is not your strength. You also need to gauge what it is that makes your team tick. Are they a side that gets really excited about new innovations and methods of attack, or are they passionate about over-powering opponents and defending like Trojans. Yes, we are all passionate about winning, but there will be an aspect of the game or sport that your side is really passionate about. Find out that passion, and your key unique strength and work your game around those, not the other way round.

The Crowd

Sport has always had the knack of drawing people to watch it. Some sports more so than others, but often a crowd (or smattering of people if it's a small provincial game of cricket or a Sunday game of Netball) will go and attend a sporting fixture. This all adds to the atmosphere, and creates an ' added importance' to the game. But does it really? Do players raise their games when people are watching? Do crowds not distract players, or create added pressure that hinders them from getting 'into the zone'? These are questions that I would just love to be able to answer, but one feels that perhaps it is different for different individuals and teams and thus not that answerable.

Just last week I worked with a cricket side, who had to play a game of huge significance, for their school, in front of a crowd, for the first time. From usually playing in front of 20 to 30 enthsiastic parents, they now had to play in front of 1000 enthusiatic school mates as well. Despite them being clear favourites on paper and having beaten the same opponents easily just a week previously, they were feeling pressure and nerves. Why? Because a big crowd would be there to see them fail should they do so!! Professional sportsmen these days, are entertainers, in fact they probably have become blase about crowds and instead should there be a very small turn out, they may battle to raise their game to the desired level. But one feels that at amateur level the players have not yet gotten used to these crowds, and thus are affected differently. This very evening, I will be venturing off to watch two amateur rugby sides take part in a crunch match in front of 15 000 people. What impact is this likely to have on the match itself, and on the players as individuals?

I have often believed at amateur level, that crowds can be a burden, and a distraction that is too hard to handle. Yes, there is no doubt that a crowd can serve as a motivator, but I believe that often sides are motivated by just playing for each other and by having fun. The presence of the crowd only serves to tip the balance towards the players becoming over-hyped. The fear of failure is one of the biggest fears faced by all sportsmen, and even if thousands/millions or billions of people are watching on television, there is something about having a live crowd in that can enhance that fear even more.

I look forward to watching this intervarsity clash this evening, and seeing which side is able to harness the positives of the big occasion by being motivated and focused, but can shut out the exciteable crowd well enough to stay focused on the task at hand. I have always maintained that the best sides are those that can play to the same level in front of 1 or 1000 people, as they are truly motivated by bettering their own standards, and playing just for each other, rather than just trying to entertain crowds. I welcome feedback from those who have witnessed crowd influence first hand.

Cheers
T