My basketball team in our first tournament finished 3-2, took 4th place. My goal as the coach was to finish .500 or better. I wanted the boys to play hard and play with intensity on the defensive end. Both teams last night played with great tenacity.
What made me the happiest as the coach was that many of these players increased their personal confidence a great deal. Kids where going for balls that they usually do not go for, taking greater risks on the floor and succeeding. Running down the floor, coming in at a timeout, U have never seen 16 kids with bigger smiles than I did last night. As their coach I am so proud of how much they were willing to take risks and hard they played.
All through tryouts and the first two weeks of practice, we talked about two things we can control; our attitude and our effort. Many kids are afraid to give their all because they are afraid to make a mistake. I assured them if they make a physical mistake we can work through and improve from it. Mental mistakes kill us because that is a lack of focus.
At this level, confidence is crucial because of the rapidly approaching jump from the middle school to the high school. I am always trying to coach the boys in a way that creates confidence. Kids that can get the confidence now will make that transition much smoother.
Confident player plays hard, sweats and knows that basketball or any sport is fun. There are so many things that can help a player be successful but they all come back to confidence. Smiling faces show confidence better than anything else. A smiling face tells such an incredible story of what that player or the entire team may be experiencing!
