The coach sets the tone, decides the environment, ultimately has the greatest control of player behaviors, and in the end, is responsible to controlling these outcomes.
TONE YOU SETTONE SETTER
Your voice, body language, appearance, attitude - all of YOU - is the LightHouse for the player on game day. The player is looking TO you, AT you, THROUGH you, and you will send the SIGNALS as would a LIGHTHOUSE. CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: 1. Do you show up on time, habitually, always? 2. Do you have an organized plan for pre-game? 3. Do you have equipment (i.e. balls, bibs, cones)? 4. Do you set up the equipment, before player arrivals, to execute the pregame plan? 5. Do you wear club attire, professionally? 6. Do you deliver concise messaging at halftime? 7. Does your post-game create a transition to "next" operative for the team? If you answer NO to any of the 7 basic, foundational, tone-setting questions above, then you are not doing a great job at "setting the tone". If you are currently average, shoot for great by addressing these foundational game day tenets for "setting the tone". NOTE: Each coach will bring a unique personality: "fun coach", "strict coach", "focused coach", "intense coach" to game day. This is great - be your AUTHENTIC SELF. HOWEVER NOTE: Your "authentic self" is NEVER an excuse for your incapacity to "set the tone" for the day's game. |
APPEARANCEAPPEAR READY
Game day you are the LIGHTHOUSE for the player. They are looking at you, to you, through you. Besides the obvious of dressing professionally, your "carry-on" attire is important. Are you arriving with a McDonald's sack in hand? There's a tone being set by that appearance. Your language, movement, voice, are all a part of the overall appearance you provide that SIGNALS to your players what is about to happen. Whatever tone you are seeking, just keep in mind your APPEARANCE is sending the SIGNAL in pre-game and throughout the game.... and in the post game. This includes body language during every moment of the game, voice and spoken word, interaction with the game, including the referee, players, opponent, and all of the adversity and successes. If you appear FOCUSED your players will be more like to also be focused. If you appear overly INTENSE and ANXIOUS expect your players to mimic with performance anxiety and nervousness, and lack of fun. If you demonstrate you are enJOYing and having FUN within the game, expect your players to more likely fall in line to that tone. |
YOUR RESPONSERESPOND RIGHT
The game is unpredictable, unfair, and bigger than any player or coach. It is mostly non-controllable. Your responses are all controllable. There will be moments of success and failure. There will be moments of unfairness, and supreme good fortune. And moments of adversity and triumph. In EACH and EVERY moment, your EACH and EVERY response, will be the best predictor of the game day environment. YOU HAVE THE POWER - or you can give it away.... CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING: 1. Have you ever believed that the referee crew has taken over and ruined the game? 2. Have you ever been convinced that an opponent coach distracted everyone from a great game? 3. Have you ever thought that an opposing player's foul play interfered with a great game? 4. Have you ever decided the field and weather simply made it impossible to have a good game? IF YOU HAVE EVER ANSWERED YES TO THE PRECEDING, THEN YOU HAVE FAILED ON THAT GAME DAY. YOU HAVE FAILED YOUR ATHLETES. IT IS OK. SUCCEED IN THE NEXT ONE by cultivating a mindset that has the capacity to RESPOND to each unpredictable moment. |
YOUR RESPECTRESPECT NOT EARNED
RESPECT IS NOT EARNED. This unfortunate myth, lie and mantra born of ignorance "you have to earn my respect" is bull- malarkey (look it up). It will be difficult to adjust your worldly view of yourself, without agreeing that each person DESERVES your RESPECT whether it has been earned -- OR - not. GIVE IT. RESPECT the REFEREE. RESPECT the PARENTS. RESPECT the OPPOSING COACH. RESPECT the GAME and all those who have built it before you ever arrived. RESPECT the CLUB, the FACILITY, the COMMUNITY, the FIELD, the LEAGUE, and the PEOPLE who behind the scenes did the work to bring the game to life. This is how you will "set the tone" in a proper way. The foundation of a masterclass coach is humility. "There is no respect for others without humility in one's self." If you think too much of you - put that ego aside, work on you, and get better by understanding the more you know, the more you know that you do not know. Learn to RESPECT OTHERS and you'll be capable of CLARITY of VISION on game day.... And this, your players deserve, and have likely earned, from you. |
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FOCUS ON WHAT
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WHICH TONE TO SET
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DO THIS
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LIMIT THIS
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When "setting the tone" you are empowering yourself to select what your team will focus on within the game. This is an applicable methodology if you are about to coach the Super Bowl, the Champion's League Final, or your team's next club, high school, or college match.
It is not possible for there to be "no focus". So the team by default will focus on something, or several things. Normally, coaches wish to direct a team's pregame focus.
Setting the tone establishes a foundation, a platform if you will, to deliver a message that will drive home the focus you desire. The message might be via words, or actions, or reminders, or body language or just energy.
The message might be specific "today we will press their wide backs" or generally motivational "today we define ourselves by team defending". The message might be through energy, by simply bringing an energy that is exclusive to this particular game. The message might be to play calm and confident, or composed and decisive, and this might be delivered simply in how you transition the team through pre-game. The messaging might be teaching, "take players on using your skills today", or it might be encouraging, "we will take risks early to try to get an early goal" or it might be empowering, "we will make every sacrificial run for each other today without counting the cost."
No matter what your "message", if you have not "set the tone" by completing all of the prerequisites to tone-setting: being on time, being organized, having equipment, being set up before player arrivals, ready for halftime team talks, etc; then your message will be lost via lack of focus. Setting the tone is like setting the table for dinner. If you have a great meal, but there is not place set ready to serve the meal, it is like a great message, without a tone set to serve the message.
If you coach an U8 youth academy team you may desire the team to FOCUS on using a skill when on the ball. While you'll want to emphasize this inside of the pregame warmup activities, and in the pre-game message, it is still important that you have SET THE TONE.
For example, if you arrive late, without equipment, and do not set up, and then you when you do arrive you quickly try to reminder the players before sending them onto the field for kickoff that you want them "take players on by using a skill" your going to get a small return on your investment. Great message. Great idea. Great concept. Probably a great week at training. Everything is ready. You did not set the tone. There was lost capacity to create a focal message. The game, the incubator, has lost some of it's value. YOU the COACH are responsible.
Using the dinner analogy: you found the perfect recipe, bought the groceries, prepared the groceries, mixed all the ingredients, went through the cooking process, but never set the table.
It is not possible for there to be "no focus". So the team by default will focus on something, or several things. Normally, coaches wish to direct a team's pregame focus.
Setting the tone establishes a foundation, a platform if you will, to deliver a message that will drive home the focus you desire. The message might be via words, or actions, or reminders, or body language or just energy.
The message might be specific "today we will press their wide backs" or generally motivational "today we define ourselves by team defending". The message might be through energy, by simply bringing an energy that is exclusive to this particular game. The message might be to play calm and confident, or composed and decisive, and this might be delivered simply in how you transition the team through pre-game. The messaging might be teaching, "take players on using your skills today", or it might be encouraging, "we will take risks early to try to get an early goal" or it might be empowering, "we will make every sacrificial run for each other today without counting the cost."
No matter what your "message", if you have not "set the tone" by completing all of the prerequisites to tone-setting: being on time, being organized, having equipment, being set up before player arrivals, ready for halftime team talks, etc; then your message will be lost via lack of focus. Setting the tone is like setting the table for dinner. If you have a great meal, but there is not place set ready to serve the meal, it is like a great message, without a tone set to serve the message.
If you coach an U8 youth academy team you may desire the team to FOCUS on using a skill when on the ball. While you'll want to emphasize this inside of the pregame warmup activities, and in the pre-game message, it is still important that you have SET THE TONE.
For example, if you arrive late, without equipment, and do not set up, and then you when you do arrive you quickly try to reminder the players before sending them onto the field for kickoff that you want them "take players on by using a skill" your going to get a small return on your investment. Great message. Great idea. Great concept. Probably a great week at training. Everything is ready. You did not set the tone. There was lost capacity to create a focal message. The game, the incubator, has lost some of it's value. YOU the COACH are responsible.
Using the dinner analogy: you found the perfect recipe, bought the groceries, prepared the groceries, mixed all the ingredients, went through the cooking process, but never set the table.
As you prepare your team for the next match, you may wonder, "what tone do I want to set?'
There is a myriad of options. A few I have used on particular game days, for particular moments in a team's process towards our collective vision. As you select a tone for the game, the master class coach will selecting a tone that is driven by a feedback loop between players and coach.
In other words, as you choose a tone to set, this is not a randomized process. The process of tone-setting is filled with intentionality, purpose, and detail to the team, the moment, and the vision.
And you can't set the wrong tone.... as long as you put forth sincere effort. Sincere effort may lead to a tone set that you retroactively reevaluate, this the awesomeness of being imperfect in coaching and leading humans who are imperfect - we have this awesome opportunity to appraise, correct, grow, develop, improve, and try again.
A FEW OPTIONS FOR GAME DAY TONE - JUST IDEA STARTERS
Remember - BE AUTHENTIC. BE YOU.
Just be sure you understand the responsibility you have to the authority you have been gifted as "coach".
High-Energy & Positive
Calm & Composed
Aggressive & Risk Taking
Poised & Cautious
Physically Sacrificial
Cognitive & Aware
Focused & Prepared
Intense & Locked In
Responsive (E+R=O) Even + Response = Outcome
FRS Activated (Failure Recovery Systems)
Communicative & Engaged
Coordinated & Communicative (team defending?)
Quick & Energetic
Empowering & Encouraging
Tough & Resilient
Courageous & Bold
Risk-Taking & Confident
There is a myriad of options. A few I have used on particular game days, for particular moments in a team's process towards our collective vision. As you select a tone for the game, the master class coach will selecting a tone that is driven by a feedback loop between players and coach.
In other words, as you choose a tone to set, this is not a randomized process. The process of tone-setting is filled with intentionality, purpose, and detail to the team, the moment, and the vision.
And you can't set the wrong tone.... as long as you put forth sincere effort. Sincere effort may lead to a tone set that you retroactively reevaluate, this the awesomeness of being imperfect in coaching and leading humans who are imperfect - we have this awesome opportunity to appraise, correct, grow, develop, improve, and try again.
A FEW OPTIONS FOR GAME DAY TONE - JUST IDEA STARTERS
Remember - BE AUTHENTIC. BE YOU.
Just be sure you understand the responsibility you have to the authority you have been gifted as "coach".
High-Energy & Positive
Calm & Composed
Aggressive & Risk Taking
Poised & Cautious
Physically Sacrificial
Cognitive & Aware
Focused & Prepared
Intense & Locked In
Responsive (E+R=O) Even + Response = Outcome
FRS Activated (Failure Recovery Systems)
Communicative & Engaged
Coordinated & Communicative (team defending?)
Quick & Energetic
Empowering & Encouraging
Tough & Resilient
Courageous & Bold
Risk-Taking & Confident