coaches are not above their players.

A team is a collection of individuals working together to achieve a common goal. To accomplish this we must remember that no one individual is greater than the collective whole. This is equally important for the coach to remember. No coach is greater than their players. Coaches can’t expect their players to respect and listen to them that must be earned. Now I want to preface this by saying that players also need to earn their coaches trust and respect, but right now we are talking about coaches earning players trust and respect.

Coaches have several objectives, winning and helping their players become better people are a couple of the more predominate ones. To accomplish this we need our players to listen to us. The only way they will listen though is if they trust and respect us. The more our players trust and respect us the more they will listen to what we have to say, the more they listen to what we have to say the more likely the team is to be successful.

Coaches, again I am not saying that our players shouldn’t work for our trust and respect, but we must first gain theirs. There are several ways to gain the trust of a team. The biggest one I can think of though is to show the players that they matter. Show them that even though your goal is to win and be successful, that their well-being comes first. Show them that you are there for them. Show them that they can come to you whenever they need you.

Coaches also need to trust their players. This side will show in who gets playing time and how players are used to practice and matches. For a player to show a coach that they deserve to be trusted and respected a player should show up to training and games with the same intensity every time. Always show up ready to work and be present.

Without mutual trust a team will never be successful. But without a coach gaining the trust of their players nothing will be accomplished. Winning is important in sports, but the only way to win is to get everyone working together. Remember a team is a combination of individuals that are working together to accomplish the same goal. Work together, listen to each other, and trust each other. This is how a team works. This is how a team learns. This is how a team grows. And this is how a team wins.