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As sport coaches, strength
coaches, trainers, and health professionals we all need to hold our
athletes and clients accountable. The definition of accountability
is "responsibility to someone or for some activity." It is part of
our job to teach them and try to help them to understand how the things we
tell them (sleep habits, eating habits, work habits, etc.) are going to
help them be successful. This is extremely important in team sports.
Team sports need every single person on the team to do a certain job to
ensure that the team achieves success. If one person doesn't take
care of their responsibility, the entire team will suffer and will not get
closer to their goals. Accountability is of utmost importance in
team sports and needs to be emphasized by all those associated with the
team: head coach, assistant coaches, strength coach, athletic trainer, and
the athletes themselves.
Every successful team has qualities that made them who they were and
allowed them to achieve success. The qualities that lead to team
success are usually always the ability to communicate, having intense
training sessions (practice, weight room), consistency, and having a
positive attitude. There are other qualities that may be specific to
another team, but these are qualities that run common through any sport.
These are the qualities that must be cultivated, reinforced and held
accountable.
By holding the team accountable (responsible) for these qualities we are
instilling the habits for success and a good foundation to build upon.
If these things are looked over and athletes aren't made to do these
things, then they will not know they are important and you will be looking
at a team that will not achieve their goals.
How to handle each team is going to be depend upon the coach, but both
positive and negative reinforcement should be used and it is important to
instill good habits at an early age or upon entering a new situation.
Holding your athletes accountable may not make you look like the "good
guy", but it will definitely earn you respect.
©2004-2008 S B Coaches College, LLC. All
Rights Reserved
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