Winning the Next Play
While it may seem that an Indianapolis Colts theme is emerging, I assure you that it is only due to the amount of media coverage that they have received lately (although I do have the utmost respect for the organization). However, while watching the play-off game between the Colts and the Steelers, the single act that inspired me to write was performed by Steeler, Troy Polamalu. Not the interception, that was shockingly overturned after review (the NFL has subsequently stated that the overturned was wrong), but his response to this reversal. In a twist of directorial brilliance, the television audience was shown a reply of the shot of Polamalu as he heard the review determination being made to the crowd. What he did was shake his head once as in "I think you blew that one Mr. Referee," but in the same motion grabbed his helmet and ran back onto the field to play defense. That was it. He didn't run onto the field to argue, he didn't pout to his coach, he did plead to his teammates, he ran onto to the field to get ready to try to win the next play. The fact that the Colts took advantage of the missed call, not withstanding, as it is quite likely that not every player on the Steelers defense recovered from the bad break as quickly as Polamalu, the picture of him just running back onto the field is a great example of the type of rapid resilience that is crucial for becoming a successful player. Bruce Brown calls it the What's Important Now" (WIN), principal. The Positive Coaching Alliance recommends having a "mistake ritual" to aid in quickly rebounding from mistakes (both your own and those of others). In fact Stanford Women's Volleyball coach, John Dunning has actually defined a Competitor as "someone who is consistently the person who is most ready to win the next play."So why is it that Polamalu's reaction was remarkable? Over my years as an athlete, coach, spectator, I feel that there has been a growing need for players to be dramatic to ensure that everyone believes that they were robbed; basketball players standing still looking at officials, pleading for a call when they miss a shot, soccer players rolling around on the ground is pretend agony when they get the ball stolen, etc. It is not really about whether the calls (or lack thereof) were correct, it is about taking the calls for what they are and then doing something positive (meaning that will help you or your team be successful) with your very next move. With my teams we have always used the phrase "get to your spot" meaning that there is always some place you should be to get your job done, when you are questioning officials, looking over at the bench for sympathy, or faking an injury, you are not in your spot.
Finally, as coaches it is important to remember this lesson as well. Your spot is to be coaching and unless there is a recognized process for protesting calls, the best thing for you to be doing is coaching your team. A lot of times we (and I do included myself) feel we need to show everyone how much we know. I think that this normal human drive is responsible for a lot of the arguing and demonstrative behavior in sports. While it might be normal, it is not productive. I speak to hundreds of coaches every year and when I ask how many of them have ever had a call changed in the middle of a contest, the number saying they have would be less then 3%. That is 3 out of a 100 coaches have EVER had a call reversed, so if you figure in how many calls they had felt were wrong in their entire career, the likely of being hit by lightening, starts to look like good odds when compared to arguing calls. Coaching your team, getting to your spot, "flushing" mistakes and moving on, focusing on WIN, does not mean you don't know what you doing, it means the exact opposite, and with a little education your players and parents will understand that as well. Read more!
posted by R. A. King @ 10:11 AM
1 comments
