Written by Do you remember the first time you started playing with a ball? You probably felt an inner joy and enjoyed throwing, kicking, spinning, and juggling that ball. It did not matter what size the ball was, what it was made out of, or even what kind of ball it was. Just playing with the ball was fun, with no seriousness involved, and you probably played with that ball with others who were also having fun.
As a coach, when was the last time you saw your athletes having fun in practice and competition? I mean, genuinely having fun because sports are fun, not because they won a race, game, or competition? When was the last time that your athletes had a genuine smile on their faces?
Regardless of age, level, and sport, athletes always need to be reminded that sports are fun. Youth athletes are easily influenced by the serious parent or coach who is frustrated by the performance of the child or team. That parent or coach are acting like it is the World Cup, national championship, World Series, Super Bowl, or world championships. They are briskly walking up and down the field, court, pitch, mat, or deck frustrated and yelling about what they think the kids should be doing…when the child is trying to figure out what is happening at that exact moment, trying to do what they learned in practice, trying to listen to the people yelling at them, wondering if there will be a snack after the game, and maybe who they want to play or socialize with after the game.
At higher levels of sports, it is the same situation. Many parents, coaches, and maybe even fans are all yelling what they want the athletes or teams to do as every game, match, or race is eminently important. Some coaches will berate athletes the moment they make a mistake. If the athlete or team are not doing well, and in some cases even when they are, the athletes will focus less on competing toward the end of the race or match because they are now focused on the coach yelling at them about how poorly they performed, fans or parents yelling at them afterwards, and having to show up to practice next.
Next time you run practice as a coach, remember how sports were for you in its simplest forms. Sports, or even just playing with a simple ball, were so much fun! Creating a positive environment and culture can help your athletes and teams to begin remembering why they started playing or competing in sports in the first place, because of the pure enjoyment. And I guarantee that even at the highest levels of performance and competition, if your athletes and teams are truly reminded of how fun sports can be, they will easily outperform their current level.