Coach, what is your vision for your team?

I have been conducting camps and clinics for close to a decade. I love "teaching" and interacting with young players on the pitch. I much prefer this to "coaching" on game day although I do enjoy that as well. I view matches as the test for what we have done during training. The two must go hand in hand but if I had to choose one, it would be to train. This is undoubtedly why I enjoy conducting camps and clinics.

During one of my recent weeks of camp I could not help but wonder why the team and its program had struggled so in recent years.  The turn out for camp was outstanding, nearly 40 participants.  There were enough talented players to field a quality varsity team. The kids generally seemed to like one another although in a group that size perfect harmony is difficult to achieve. When I looked at this group I saw potential. I saw a team capable of winning 10+ games of a 16 game schedule.  Of course, it matters little what my vision was for the team. What counts is their coach's vision for the team.

In this regard, the camps I conduct often involve training coaches as well as training players. It is not my intention to place myself on a pedestal or define myself as some type of coaching guru for coaches. Not at all. It's more a fresh set of eyes to an existing situation. I don't have all that answers and quite frankly I sometimes don't even know the questions. However, one of the advantages of bringing someone in to conduct team camp for you is the different perspective the clinician will bring.

I must admit,when I see a program struggle on the pitch yet have 40 players attend camp it makes me curious as to why they have not had a winning season in years. Forty players is more than enough to field a Varsity and JV team with a few left over.  Something seemed amiss and, of course, I wanted to know how to put it right.

What I quickly learned was this group lacked a team identity. The players knew little of the programs past and had given little thought as to their own legacy to the program.  Very good coaching staff who were as befuddled as I was about what they perceived to be a lack of motivation or drive to succeed. An assistant coach had heard me address another team on the process of building a winning program.  My mantra of first learning how to work, then how to compete and finally how to win had struck a chord with him so he lobbied to bring me in.

The topic for the week was to be learning to move / play as a team, but it quickly came to include learning how to work smarter. Working smart includes defining and knowing roles, sharing the load and trusting your teammates - the building blocks of moving and playing as a team.

I used the first days sessions to evaluate the program, its current team and individual players.  At the end of the day I asked the head coach for his vision for his team. He threw out some generic ideas about playing together in pursuit of a common goal, establishing a winning tradition and making a run in the tournament. I prompted him to tell me how he envisioned his team accomplishing these goals. It took awhile to elicit the type of information I was seeking, but it eventually came forth.

One of the first red flags to emerge occurred early on the first day as I asked the players about the formation and systems of play they used.  From what I could make out the team changed formations and how they sought to play nearly on a game to game basis.  4-4-2 with a diamond back line one game and a 3-5-3 with a flat back in the next game. Apparently they even changed at halftime of games going from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3. There was mention of a 4-1-3-2, a 4-2-3-1, a 4-5-1 and a 4-6.  You name the formation and system of play and they seemingly had tried it.

As I discussed what the coaches vision for the team was with the coaching staff it seemed what they wanted to do was play a 4-4-2 with a zonal defense or a 4-3-3 with a zonal defense.  When asked why they changed formation and system of play so frequently the answer was very much result oriented. Apparently whatever they tried didn't seem to work (or work for long) and so they kept experimenting hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.  As we continued to talk the head coach made the comment, "We need to pick a formation and system and just stick with it."  B-I-N-G-O !

The head coach and his staff knew the answer, but were so vested in results and so close to the situation they lost sight of the process.  That first evening, they reached a quick consensus to go with the 4-4-2 zonal approach. When attacking they wanted to fast counter and when that wasn't available, be able to possess and probe.  Pretty much my vision for my own teams.  The next morning we sold it to the team and asked them to buy in.  We explained that there would be rough spots and lots of mistakes as  they explored and learned the system of play. The focus had to be on where they would be
a week from then, at the start of the season, at mid season and finally where they were at the end of the season.... that would be their legacy to the program.

This is the point where I borrowed from University of Michigan football coach Brady Hoke. Coach Hoke starts every practice, classroom session and game day with what has become the Wolverines mantra.

Good morning!  With the team responding Good morning!
Team?    134!
National Champions?  11!
Big Ten Titles?  42!

And so on through Heisman winners, All-Americans and so forth.  He once explained the importance of knowing that you not only represent yourselves, but everyone who wore the colors before you and will wear the colors after you. My modification to this greeting and response is as follows:

Good morning!   Good morning!
Team!   Whatever year of the program we are in.
Train like.... Champions!
Play like......Champions!
Become ......Champions!
School name ....  Mascots Name!

I chose this format because many of the high school teams I work with are newer teams and or teams that do not have a list of championships, all-state players to call upon. They are striving to establish a foundation so they can win championships, place players on all-League and all-state teams.

On the first day of a camp the responses are self-conscious and on the quiet side.  By the end of camp the responses are clear, loud and done with conviction. Their confidence with this cheer grows in direct proportion to the growth of their confidence on the pitch. The two go hand in hand.  The cheer addresses mental and emotional aspects that transfer to the field of play. In many cases it serves to unite a team that otherwise seems to lack togetherness. It serves to provide a commonality that becomes the cornerstone to build a team culture upon.  Some teams discard it as soon as camp is over and that is fine as I intend it to be a starting point.  Other teams carry it with them out of camp and make it a part of their regular routine.  I have heard that one team has even had t-shirts made with this cheer on them.  Pretty cool!

There is a motivation that stems from this cheer that serves as a link between the coaches vision and the players dedication to the work required to bring that vision to life.  It is a gimmick to bring a different mental and emotional approach to the team. The cheer is different from there normal routine and therefore signifies change just as much of the work we do on the pitch with them is different than what they are accustomed to.  I stress if all they ever do is all they have ever done, how can they expect to change the culture and results they have always had?

A coaches vision for how his team should play is kind of like that as well. If your vision is out of focus or constantly changing, doesn't it stand to reason that your team will struggle to play as you want them to?  Define your vision. Determine where your team is in the process so you have a starting point. Outline steps your team and program can strive to take towards your vision.  Stay focused n the vision and the process required to achieve your vision. Do not allow yourself or your team to become impatient or bored with the process. It will take time, but it will be worth it!