Athletic Directors Toolbox

Teamwork and Culture Shaping

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This post may also be found at the Coaches Toolbox, a resource for coaches of all sports

Bill Wadley
Recently retired Men’s Swimming Coach
Ohio State

This presentation deals with shaping and changing cultural barriers and shifting well established habits which becomes the challenge of cultural shaping. Coach Wadley discusses the goals and barriers that impact faculty and staff success and how to simplify systems and structure. This presentation also explains how culture can be the springboard for establishing student life goals which enhances learning.

The video is applicable to coaching any sport, not just swimming.

This video is provided by Glazier Clinics’ Head Coach Academy

You can also checkout more videos like this one at the Glazier Clinics Online Learning Vault

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How to Win the Locker Room

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By Dr. Rob Bell

Dr. Bell is a Mental Toughness Coach and Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.  He consults with hundreds of athletes, coaches, and teams and has served as the mental coach for PGA tour winners, USTA Champion, and Olympic Medalists.  He is also the author of several mental toughness books. For more information about Dr. Bell and his services visit https://drrobbell.com/

A team locker room is a sacred place.

Basically, what is said there, when you leave there, leave it there.

Sorry, but here’s the wrong way to win the locker room.

New Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott felt that setting the tone of the locker room was important.

Agreed

Coach Sean McDermott is all about “culture” and leading by example. He’s a 3:30AM fitness guy.

Agreed

He is a driven, hard-nosed, accountability coach whose locker room culture begins with him.

Agreed

Coach stated that “this is a business”, so he removed the pool table and video games from the locker room.

Disagree    

Players don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Hall of Fame coach, Bill Walsh, set up a fishing tournament amongst his players during pre-season. He stated, a “team that can laugh together, can get serious together.”

Hard nosed, two time Super-Bowl winning coach, Tom Coughlin, spent the very first day of a training camp by having a bowling tournament. He changed his tyrant approach because  he “wanted his players to see him as his grandchildren did.” 

Super Bowl Winning coach, Dick Vermeil was known for his “boot camp” practices and discipline, but only after he started to develop a relationship with his players did he finally reach the pinnacle.

Look, there is nothing sexier than discipline, accountability, hard-work, grit, perseverance, and a culture of excellence.

However, in order to win, coaches have to win their hearts as well. In order to do that, they need to win the locker room.

Here’s 5 ways to win the locker room

Develop a TEAM culture- 

Every coach would agree that when you have players willing to fight for one another, there is nothing more powerful. Practices should be difficult and demanding, but developing team chemistry also takes place in between practices and games. You hang out so much together, that either bonds or cliques get formed in various ways.

Developing a locker room where players can unwind, relax, be themselves, and hang-out is crucial. Who wants a locker room where players simply dash out after showering and changing?

A pool table or ping-pong table encourages players an outlet to bond over a competitive activity that is not directly related to their own sport. The Cornell basketball team that made the sweet sixteen and finished 29-5 all lived together and touted their Super Mario bros. and table-tennis competitions. 

Allow the players to take ownership-

Jeff Van Gundy allowed all minor decisions like where to eat, which music and movie to play on the bus up to the players. He granted them a voice in their own culture.

Have a leadership council-

In all pick-up games, kids self-govern themselves. You can’t break the written and unwritten rules of the court and expect to be welcomed back. A leadership council of players should make decisions on certain disciplines that coach doesn’t have to. That creates more ownership among players and takes more off of the coach.

Orchestrate the cohesion-

Teams become cohesive over the task at hand (winning), or socially (togetherness). Ultimately, task-cohesion is king. However, these task-cohesive teams are only fostered through extremely strong peer-leadership.

Social cohesion is queen. Teams full of mutual respect for one another have more trust and uphold standards within the team. Usually, the best teams have BOTH task and social cohesion. These bonds can be enhanced through scheduled sessions intended to do so.

Foster organic cohesion-  

Yes, it is a business. Winning is a habit. But, allow play to be a part of the culture. Allowing athletes to express themselves through free-play is as old as the cave-man days. We thrive on working hard toward a goal and also having fun along the journey. 

I’ve been in the team locker room at the end of a season with such tears of joy from winning, because they all knew of the effort and sacrifice and bond. I’ve been in the other locker room as well, that tears flowed because the loss was so heartbreaking because of the sacrifice and bond.

If you’re in the game long enough, these moments will happen. That’s life.

The way to a winning team locker room begins way before these moments of joy or heartbreak. It begins with the culture of the team and finding ways to win the locker room.

Serve Up a New Competitive Advantage

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We’ll show you everything Hudl has to offer volleyball coaches and athletes.

 

See the complete approach to video analysis, highlights and the stat reports in between.

107 Videos

169 Pro Tips

Ready to dive in? Open Hudl Academy here.

Or, view the short video below for more information!


Ready to dive in? Open Hudl Academy here.

 

One Club’s Secret to Increasing Player Recruitment and Growing Their Program

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Players join clubs to gain a competitive advantage and be seen by recruiters at the next level.

In a recent Hudl survey of 1,000 club athletes, more than 56 percent of respondents said their main motivation for playing was earning a scholarship to compete at the college level.

This means club athletes don’t stick with an organization if they aren’t getting the competition or coaching that will help them reach their goals.

More than 75 percent of athletes will change clubs at least once during their careers, and 55 percent will play for at least three.

Michigan Elite is one of the largest volleyball clubs in the Great Lakes region with more than 1,500 athletes and 150+ teams across five locations.

The club started using Hudl’s video review and analysis software in 2012 to retain and attract talent, and give players the tools they need to succeed.

Highlight reels were one of the key features Hudl provided for the club.

Coaches and players could easily create and share top moments with college coaches, which streamlined the recruiting process—and increased scholarship offers.

In their six years of using Hudl, Michigan Elite has seen 123 players recruited to play volleyball at the college level. Their club continues to grow due to its reputation for getting players noticed. (Learn more about how video benefits their club.)

Michigan Elite players aren’t the only ones learning the value of video—78 percent of club athletes surveyed said it was very important to their recruiting process.

The bottom line: If you want to attract and keep top talent, give your players the tools to prepare for the next stage of their careers. Step one is creating the perfect highlight reel.

Give Your Club Athletes College Recruitment Opportunities With Video

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Are you asking the right questions when it comes to giving your athletes the best recruitment opportunities?

We surveyed close to 1,000 club athletes across four key sports to understand how athletes choose their clubs.

We discovered more than 56% of club athletes compete with the goal of playing college sports, making recruitment opportunities a top factor during club selection. The best athletes will join the clubs that give them the best opportunity to continue their careers.

Here are the three questions to ask yourself to find out if you’re giving your players their best shot at playing in college.

Are you getting your athletes in front of recruiters?

Successful clubs give players access to create highlight videos and grab the attention of college coaches. 78% of athletes think video is extremely important in the recruiting process.

When you offer innovative ways to get your players noticed, you’re telling them you value their goals.

College coaches and recruiters use game videos and highlights as accessible tools to check out the players they’re interested in. Making video a part of your club culture ensures players can reach those college coaches in today’s digital age.

Are you developing your players into better athletes?

Athletes need a club that’s going to make the development process as effective and rewarding as possible. Video is an efficient and easy-to-use tool to develop players’ technical skills.

With access to video throughout their club careers, players can measure their growth and recognize what they need to work on. They’ll come out of each season not only as better athletes, but with a better chance of playing at the next level.

Are you using video to attract new talent?

Take advantage of the same tools you offer your players. Create highlights to promote your club and spread the word about key successes. Show local parents and athletes that you can give them the video technology they want.

When you give players the resources to meet their goals, the best athletes in the area will flock to that opportunity.  You’ll continue to improve the visibility and reputation of your club with both players and college recruiters.

The Bottom Line

Club athletes don’t choose who they play for on the flip of a coin — they put in serious thought and have a plan. Answering yes to these three questions will ensure your club sets your athletes up for success. Download the full report for more insights on club culture.