EXCELLENT ARTICLE

How do we instill competitive excellence in our culture? I always hear people state that the kids of today are not as competitive as 10 years ago. Is this a true statement or are we giving our own generation too much credit? 

Competitive excellence can mean different things to different people, although the foundation is nothing more than making the right choices. Yes, life is the sum of the choices we make and to me competitive excellence is making the choice to train and compete without complacency. Complacency is the silent killer of performance. There are many factors that go into competitive excellence and as coaches or parents; we often throw out words such as “effort”, “focus”, “work ethic”, and many others to help describe what it takes to be successful. The unfortunate problem with most athletic cultures is the lack of models to learn from and more importantly to establish a picture of what these frequently used words actually look like. Most young people today cannot describe these key words that are used frequently, so how can we expect them to truly understand their meaning. I have had the opportunity to be involved with the game for many, many years and along with that experience, I have witnessed various players, teams, and performances that have created a picture for me of what these words actually look like. The dilemma is creating these images for the players who do not have that experience and whom we are coaching today.

As coaches and parents, we sometime are very quick at pointing out the things that are wrong without taking the time to point out our desirable behaviors. If we can spend more time highlighting acts of competitive excellence and showing our players what these key factors actually look like and acknowledge when they occur, we may have a better chance in bringing a greater understanding of competitive excellence. If we desire to heighten our teams focus or effort, I have found that there must be a consequence both positive and negative to create our desired outcome. For example, by bringing more competition to your daily practices, our players will begin to establish higher standards, better focus, and finally begin to establish a picture of competitive excellence.

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