So you have a few girls on your team who think that a few wins makes them “all that,” huh?
First: If you team currently has a loosing record, you may consider telling your team this:
"We're below average. What makes anyone on this team think that if they give 80% we can even beat teams who's record is 3-6? Central High beat Southern High last night 2 straight. Central is now 5-5. If we give 80%, then we will lose two straight also. If we give 100% then we may win! Do you know how long it's been since we beat Central? Well, it's been awhile, and they probably KNOW that they're going to win and that you're going to give up after they get ahead 4-1 or something."
Second: The team I coached this past fall was 1-13 the year before; but, in our first 3 weeks of competition, we had won a few matches. At that time, my players and their parents were thrilled that the season was going to be so, so, so much better! Time to get our feet back on the ground.
"OK we're 3-5 playing a team that’s 1-6. Are we good enough now that we can just show up expecting to win? NO, we're not good enough to play Northeastern Middle School with that attitude. Yes, we’re better than last year, but if you want to continue to brag about how much better you are, then you HAVE to be ready to play the 1-6 team AND you have to beat them. If you lose to them, then you can't say you're better than them. If you lose to a 1-6 team, then you must only be as good as a 1-7 team...kind of has that 1-13 ring to it, doesn’t it?”
Well, we beat the 1-6 team and ended up at 9-9. That was pretty cool!
Analyzing Laziness
Personally, I don’t like to use the “L” word, because in some communities, that is as personal a criticism as saying she’s fat, ugly, or stupid. I would rather use different wordings.
"You know girls, scientists are finding all these special genes so that one day there will be no more scoliosis, Cerebral Palsy, certain birth defects, etc. ever again. But with all the genetic research, there's a gene no one has been able to isolate: the ONLY GIVING 80% GENE. The scientists have searched and researched and looked for a decade, but they haven’t been able to isolate it. Know why? They discovered it doesn't exist. They discovered that giving only 80% was not inherited…it was a LEARNED HABIT. They discovered that if a child or a teen or an adult gives 80%, and there's no punishment or no foul consequences, then they become used to it and learn to accept it. And even when that lack of effort makes them a failure at school or at sports or at marriage or at their job, they can just ignore the pain...they've given 80% for so long, they've become accustomed to the pain and it’s lost the sting that it once had."
If some players are giving you the impression that they’re not willing to increase their effort level, here’s a little speech you could share with your team.
"I decide when the bus leaves. I decide where we stop to eat. I decide how often we practice, when it starts and how long it lasts. I will also decide how hard we practice. That's my decision, not yours. This year we may have some short practices or we may have long practices...but we will NEVER have an easy practice, because I want you to improve. I want us to beat teams that we haven't beaten. This is my decision and I will remind you about it as often as I need to. If anyone feels like they're going to slack off when THEY want to, you and I won't be getting along."
