A few thoughts from one of my mentors, and one of the greatest motivators I've been around - Dale Brown.“Actions talk around here, so my interactions with my staff are essential in giving the right impression to the players,” he points out. “If the players see that the head coach and the staff have good cohesion, then the team will fall in line, also.”
“To live by relying on one another implies a risk, but without some trust in humanity, life would be unlivable."
“As I’ve stated before, the greatest potential of me is we. Each player must respect one another and give of himself for the good of the team.”
“To live by relying on one another implies a risk, but without some trust in humanity, life would be unlivable."
“As I’ve stated before, the greatest potential of me is we. Each player must respect one another and give of himself for the good of the team.”
“It may sound corny in this day and age of sophistication, but when I disciplined a young man, it’s because I love him and I don’t want to see him fail."
Establishing a strong self-image is extremely important to Brown.
“Without a strong self-image, the player has self-doubt and lacks the confidence needed to be successful in life,” he concludes.
After working on imagery for self-image, Coach Brown proceeds to teach imagery skills that are basketball-specific in nature.
“We teach mental imagery that includes late-game situations and other basketball-related topics,” he says.
The other mental imagery topics that he covers with the players include the correct reaction to what he considers to be a bad call by an official during a game, the correct reaction to the distracting actions of opponent’s fans, correct reaction to a bad foul committed against the player, and the correct reaction to an unsportsmanlike foul against the player.
“The players know how powerful the mind is, so if we can teach them the correct way to handle a difficult situation, and they can play it over and over in their minds, then when the situation actually occurs, the player will react in a positive fashion,” he states.
Where does all this teaching take place?
“We teach it in the locker room before practice, at private meetings with players and at team meetings. The players utilize it on the court, and then we develop the skill for non-sport settings as well,” he says.
Mental preparation techniques are utilized throughout the season for the Tiger basketball players. The mental approach to each part of the season is different, however. (Dale Brown)
“He, we’ve been preparing the kids during practices and pre-season to be ready for these kinds of situations,” he says. “So I really don’t have the time during games to ‘inspire’ them. They better be inspired when that game started.”
He does use specific methods for communicating important messages to the players during practices, however, and it is his hope that these messages stick in the minds of his players throughout the season.
“We use lots of videotapes showing past game successes,” he says. “We like to visually show the kids how successful they have been against certain opponents, so that if there is some kind of a fear factor present, we might be able to change that fear to confidence.”
Another method of inspiring his players is to bring in motivational speakers to talk to the players at practice. He uses the speaker’s message as the focal point of importance, he says, and often he will mention that message to the players during games when it is needed.
The most effective methods he has used over the years is to bring to practice sessions a person who has beaten the odds in life.
“I like to bring in extraordinary persons who have beaten the odds,” he says.
“We’ve brought in individuals who have licked cancer and muscular dystrophy and other life-threatening diseases.
“I tell you, they give me goose bumps with their stories and I’ve cried more than once at the remarkable resilience they show.”
He says that if the team needs some kind of inspirational punch at halftime or late in the game, he will quickly remind them of the videotapes or speakers or extraordinary person they have met. The reference will not be a long one because game situations don’t merit those. Just mentioning a name of action will cue the player’s mind, he says.
From "Competitive Excellence" by Stephen J. Brennan
