Friday, April 17, 2009

Communication with Technology in Professional Football




Communication in professional football is becoming more and more technologically advanced. Coaches are now able to communicate directly with their players by speaking into a microphone which is relayed through an earpiece in the players helmet. Just last year the NFL came out with new helmets for the players that receive communications, they mark the helmets with a green dot on the back to distinguish which ones receive communications from the coaches. This new technology has made communication in professional football more convenient and much more effective.

Using Non-Verbal Communication in Sports

Non-verbal communication is used regularly during sporting events. Many times the communication takes place between players but often times it is the non-verbal input from the coach on the sideline that will dictate the course of play in a game. In this post I will look into all of the hand signal and body gestures that are used in three of Americas most popular sport's: football, baseball, and basketball. In all three sports coaches pass information onto the playing field without speaking; this is important because the other team should not be able to find out your game plan.

FOOTBALL
In football all the plays are call from the sideline. Both the offense and the defense rely on the coaching staff to tell them what play to run. It would be impossible for players to run to the sideline and talk to the coach then run back on the field and tell the team what the coach wants done. So what football teams do is they use body gestures and hand signals to communicate to the players on the field. There is an offensive captain and a defensive captain, so through some body gestures a coach can tell one guy what play to run and that player tells ten other players what to do on the next play and this all happens in less than 30 seconds.
During a football game, the coaching staff call almost every play in the game. Meaning that non-verbal communication is used prior to the start of every play. With the variety of plays a team has, the coach on the sideline may look quite animated sending a play to the team. A football coach will use hand signals, body gestures, wipes, touches, just about anything to let the team know which play to execute.

BASEBALL
Some say the most boring part of watching baseball is the time between one pitch and the next. It seems like everyone just stands around waiting for a strikeout or a fly ball. What these people do not know is what is how much is happening during those thirty seconds that they can't hear and are not sharp enough to see. All over the field players are communicating with each other and with their coaches and nobody is saying a word.
One simple form of non-verbal baseball communication that the average fan does not see takes place every time a runner makes it to first base. The second baseman and the shortstop have to decide who will cover second base if the runner on first attempts to steal second base. To keep the opposing team from finding out who will cover, they do not just yell back and forth to each other. Most teams use the "open mouth closed mouth" system. When the shortstop shows the second baseman an open mouth the second baseman replies with a closed mouth meaning he will cover the base and vice verse.

The follow things all happen in those 30 seconds between almost every pitch and are all communicated through a series of hand signals:

1 - The pitcher and catcher are deciding what pitch to throw
2 - The shortstop and second baseman are choosing who will cover second base
3 - The manager is telling the third base coach what the offense is going to do
4 - The third base coach passes the information onto the hitter and any base runners
5 - A bench coach is changing the positioning of the outfielders and infielders


BASKETBALL
Basketball is a fast paced sport in which many decisions are made on the move. Whether to shoot the ball or pass it, who to pass the ball to, or who to defend. These questions are all answered by the players themselves on the court during the action. However, the coach does have control over some of the decisions that are made on the court. With a quick hand signal a coach can tell all five players on the floor what form of defense he wants to use. On the offensive side of the ball a coach can inform the team what offensive play to run by a hand signal to the point guard. The point guard then uses another signal to tell the other four players on the court what the play is.
The time-out is often used in basketball games by coaches to slow down the tempo of a game or to use strategic play calling. Other than the coach, it is crucial for the team leader to be able to send information to the rest of the team. He can instruct the team to set up a surprise defensive press to force turnovers, or using hand signals he can call for an ally-oop, or even something as simple as the pick and roll play. Your hands, your eyes, and your head motions are all important in each of these sports. Non-verbal communication is key to success and team chemistry leading to more wins and great sports experiences.

Communication Managers; Every Team Needs One!

A new idea has hit people in the sports community lately, having a team communication manager. Some teams in all of the professional sports areas are starting to hire new "communication mangaers" and i think its a great idea. They are essentially the person that will represent the team and communicate to all outside people through a common ground. Some of the responisbilities of a communication manager would be tickets, marketing, corporate sales, and media relations.

This communication manager position is a very important one, and for many reasons. A team can work together and make a single decision about important issues which then will be translated to the communication manager, who can tell the public or whoever the issue pertains to. With the use of a communication manager there will be several problems eliminated, for example if a team faces a tough loss then instead of the players dealing with the media and telling several different versions of a story, the communication manager can tell one clear and concise story which will hopefully eliminate false rumors spreading about a team or players.

This is a great opportunity for a team in any sport, there are always issues that need to be discussed and with a manager of communication you can ensure everything will be stated exactly how you would want it to be.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Constructive Criticism



Mr. Coach Klein giving his player, Bobby, some useful coaching advice.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Non-verbal Communication in Baseball

Not many people know how important non-verbal communication is in baseball or how much it's used. I always here my friends say "I don't like watching baseball, it's so boring. The pitcher throws the ball and then everyone just stands around for thirty seconds waiting for the next pitch." But then again some of them have never played baseball and don't really know too much about the game. For that twenty to thirty seconds between pitches there is a lot going on that most people don't notice. For example, the pitcher and catcher have to decide on a pitch to throw with a series of hand signals and head shakes. Also, if there is a runner is on base the pitcher has to keep looking over his shoulder to check if he thinks the runner is going to steal, while the runner is making body movements towards the next base trying to make the pitcher think he's going to steal. The runner is always trying to do this because if he gets the pitcher's attention then hes doing his job throwing the pitcher off his game and getting into his head. Basically the following non-verbal actions occur in between each pitch:
  • The pitcher and catcher are deciding what pitch to throw.
  • The shortstop and second baseman are choosing who will cover second base.
  • The manager is telling the third base coach what the offense is going to do.
  • The third base coach relays the information to the hitter and any base runners.
  • A bench coach is changing the positioning of the outfielders and infielders.
All of these actions are performed every inning of every game and are a big factor in the outcome of any game.

Media Relations Tips for Athletes



Cause You Don't Wanna Be Like This Guy



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYXfU_hw5Lc&feature=player_embedded

Here is a video with some tips, and information on how to get money towards your athletics.

Public Relations

Players need to conduct themselves in a way that is respectable. After all, these athletes are role models to many young people around the world. To stay in the good side of the public eye, players should be aware of how they maintain their image with the team, coaches and the rest of public.

Tools Players can use:

News – How writers, reporters, competitors perceive you and your personality will be in the news. People everywhere see or hear the news, and believe what they are told.

Speeches – When making an announcement, write a speech with a lot of thought. You want to sound articulate, and dress professionally. Talk about positive things, and don’t forget to say thank you.

Mobile Marketing – This is the way you promote yourself as an athlete. Going from city to city giving a demonstration, holding a camp, displaying a new product, or trying out for a new team. All of these things need to be done with respect and class.

Special Events – Make an appearance on a talk show, attend another sports event, go to award shows, or unveil a new product. These events can be used as good public relations if you conduct yourself in the right manner.

Public Service Activities – These are things like donating to a charity, cancer research, visiting a hospital, helping kids read, and other public serving activities. If a player does this regularly, he will be seen in a different way than a player who does it rarely or not at all.

As I said, Athletes are role models. So if they want to act like one, they must practice good public relations and stay out of trouble as much as possible.

Coach to Coach Connections

An important aspect in the sports management field that is often overlooked by many people is the relationships opposing coaches have with one another. This can be a very useful tool in achieving goals throughout your career. By having close connections to coaches of other teams that can lead you vital information about opponents and give you a one up against other teams. The way to become connected is very easy to do and with a few simple steps you can have close connections with opposing coaches in your field as well.

1) Respect
The main aspect you need to remember with communicating with opposing coaches is to always be respectful of the coach and their team. Never put down a coach for the way he or she handles their team. Putting down their coaching techniques would cause the coach to dislike you and not want to help you in the future.

2) Compliment
A secondary aspect to being respectful would be complimentary to the other coach. Compliment their techniques used in handling their teams and the way they approach the game. Try finding similarities between the way the both of you conduct yourselves with teams. This similarity will ultimately lead to a close connection that can be used in the future as a reference or as vital information against an upcoming team.

3) Friendliness
Being friendly with other coaches will lead you to having a positive outlook with the other coaches. This positive outlook allows you to associate yourself with all the opposing coaches and it makes the other coaches want to know you as well. Thus by simply being a friendly, nice person you can achieve your goal of associating yourself with the other coaches in your field.

4) Direct Connections
Once all the other steps have been achieved you can begin to recieve and give out your person phone number or email address to directly connect yourself to the other coaches. Having a way to directly contact other coaches gives you additional support when coming up with strategies for different teams and possibly information other coaches knew about a certain team that you did not.

In summation, by achieving these four simple steps you can connect yourself to the peers in your field which is an important strategy for achieving your goals. Knowing all the coaches you play against will better your chances against their teams and other coaches teams because of all the insider information you will have. Hence, your job will become easier and you will become a winner in no time at all.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Dealing With Conflict

It is very important to a team to consider everyone when making a decision. Whether it be the practice times and routines or where a dinner will be held; it is crucial to make sure everyone can have their own input on the situation. However when a group of people work together there will most likely be a conflict. Sometimes it will be a minor issue but regardless of the severity of the issue, it must be worked out through to a conclusion or a compromise that all team members can accept, even thought everyone may not entirely agree there needs to be common ground on every issue.

Mutual respect among team members is necessary, but too much difference can bring upon new challenges and that can ultimately reduce the team as a whole. It is important to focus on the problem and how to solve it rather than on the person that is upset.

These are some good ideas on how to manage conflict among a team:

  1. Avoid taking a win or lose stand: this will give one person the power at anothers expense. This approach is not constructive because there will always be a loser. Most conflicts wont start out this way but if a team member faces a personal defeat, then reaching a compromise is almost always impossible.
  2. Avoid accusations, threats , or degrading comments. Instead try to emphasize common interests and mutual goals of the team.
  3. Support your position with facts: Show how your position is consistent with accepted standards and pointing out the ways that your view could benefit the teams ultimate goal. Also point out errors in the other view, but make sure to talk about their position not the person.
  4. Use bargaining strategies to arrive at an exchange of concessions until a compromise is reached. Both parties can win through a compromise, even if your going to settle for less your not losing altogether as you would in a win or lose situation. a successful compromise satisfies each persons minimum needs.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Communication Between Teammates

Communication between teammates is an essential part in the team's success. Whenever there is a lack of communication on any sports team it shows in their performance. Usually a lack of communication is due to some of the players not getting along and overall it hurts the entire team.

According to Allaboutfastpitch.com communication reduces individual errors on the field "It's hard to make a mistake when u are constantly encouraging and supporting your teammates. Less worry means less anxiety. Less anxiety means your body can relax and perform at an optimal level." Also, effective communication means less mental errors "Increased communication helps players stay focused on the game. More focus means less mental errors. Plus with communication, if someone does have a mental lapse, everyone is talking and letting them know where the play should be which helps keep a mental lapse from turning into a mental error or any other kind of error." And finally communication promotes team building "When teammates are communicating with each other it increases the sense of a common goal and teamwork. Your team will perform better as individuals and as a unit with improved communication."

Without communication among teammates we would not have as many great athletes as we have today. For example, look at Tiger Woods, many people think golf is a one person sport but without the communication between Tiger and his caddie I guarentee you that he would not be as successful as he is today. Tiger's caddie knows every inch of every green and fairway in any tournament Tiger plays in. Without his caddie's knowledge of the course and all the elements involved with making a golf shot, Tiger's accomplishments would be half to two thirds of what he has today. All in all, communication between teammates is always key in the success of any team.

Tips: How players should communicate with the media

Attire: One of the most important things an athlete can do for a press conference is to dress like a professional. You want to be as presentable as you can, because ultimately you are representing your team.

Responses: These need to be thought about before taking the microphone. Responses should be safe, and direct to avoid any media conflicts.

Answers: Each question should have an answer in a timely manner. Do not rush yourself and do not take too much time in responding to one question.

Be Prepared: Do not answer any questions that you are not prepared for. Players do this all the time when asked a tough question about contracts or referee calls, the best thing to do is just sidestep the question with another response. You want to refrain from giving too much away as a sports athlete, you don't want to give too much away about your team, just keep it simple and respond to the questions that you are prepared for.

Be Positive: Focus on the good things, and the success of yourself and your team. Example: If a teammate is leaving the organization: tell the media that he was a great teammate, but whatever happens is for the better of both the player and the team. Be sure to let them know that there are plenty of possible prospects looking to fill the position.

Relationship: Keeping your media relationship on a respectful level is important. These reporters, columnists, and sports radio hosts can make or break you. Depending on what they report, your popularity can change in an instant because ultimately they have control of the public eye.

Eye Contact: Be direct with your responses and make sure you are not looking down or away. Who ever is asking the question will have their eyes on you, so be respectful and return the look. This displays confidence and will make the media believe you are not a liar.

Weakness: At times these conferences can be emotional depending on the purpose of it, but if the media sees weakness for any other reason they'll try to bring that out of you every chance they get.

These are all very important aspects involving the image of yourself and more importantly your organization. These basic tips can help a player on avoid negatives of media and maintain a positive view of yourself as well as the organization you are representing.

Talking With the Media

Their are many different approaches coaches can take to communicate with the media but to get the optimal results you must follow a series of steps. These steps are very simple and may come natural to many coaches when talking to the press.

1) Be Courteous and Respectful
Many coaches forget to keep their cool while on the stand from the press which in the end hurts their careers and images. So the best way to behave is in a respectful manner saying "Thank you" and being very courteous to the representatives (they are, after all, just trying to do their jobs). Never sware because that creates a bad atmosphere with the press and you should always keep a positive image with the press. It will get you exposure to the nation which could ultimately boost your career goals.

2) Take Responsibility For Your Actions
If your team has just lost a big game, do not go out and start pointing fingers at others. At the end of the line, you are the one who should take responsibility for how your team played. Blaming a player would disrupt your locker room that could possibly lead to a mutiny from your players. This is one of the main reasons that you should take the blame.

3) Be  Cautious of Your Responses
Often times coaches leak locker room information or say damaging responses about their players which the media will blow into a very large ordeal. These responses damage not only your image, but those of your team as well. Thus, always think before you respond to questions and be wary of what you say. Also as a side note, be humorous with the media because that will improve your standing with them and lead to a positive outlook with all of your responses.

In summation, by following these three simple steps when conducting communication with the media will drastically improve your image and standing with other coaches, sportscasters, etc. After all, what coach wouldn't like having the approval of all of his peers in the workplace.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Family Members, Your Biggest Critic:

As a coach of a sports team, there are many challenges you will face with your players. Teaching the athletes fundamentals, preparing for a big game, and effective practices are the major obstacles but one of the toughest challenges can be communicating with family members of your players if it is not approached the correct way.

Some things to consider when first communicating with family is that they will always see their family member with a little bit of an opinion on how good of an athlete they are, and they will be very protective of that person. Because of this view, things can get a little tricky, especially in a sport that is more focused on the team as a whole. Proper communication is necessary to keep the peace so to say; minor issues can become a huge problem if they are not effectively approached.

Communication between family members should begin at the beginning of the season, there should be meetings that include family members just so they are not left out of the picture, after all they do have a big part in your athletes life. In these meetings, you should always go over team rules, your coaching philosophy, team goals, and outline the practice and game schedule. It is very important to get this out on the table in the beginning of the season to prevent any misunderstanding of what will be expected of your players. Also at the ending of this meeting you should always open up to questions that family members may have, because any issues should be resolved immediately!

During the season there will always be common issues with play time, publicity, and injuries so be prepared, and give a rational answer as to why something is occurring never leave people out in the dark about these things, there is a need for a common understanding among everyone. My suggestion is not to discuss any of these topics immediately after a game because emotions will always be at their height, especially after a loss, before or after practice is ideal.

In the end just remember that YOU ARE IN CHARGE, and you don’t have to change anything to accommodate to others demands, however you should listen to what family members have to say and always know what you stand for, communication is key!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Effective Communication Between Players and Coaches

Communication is a key factor in the success of any sports team. However, many coaches still don't use effective communication when speaking with their players. Most of the time it's just a simple good job or well done and if the athlete does something wrong the coach will yell at the player until they do it right. Effective communication isn't all about screaming at your players until they do it right in fear of you screaming at them again. A big reason why coaches don't communicate well with their players is because they usually don't show any respect when telling a player they've done something wrong. I believe, that if you take them aside and calmly tell them what they did wrong and how they can correct it you will receive a much better result. Also, be aware of your body language. Starring at someone, putting your hands on your hips, and even pointing your finger at a player will almost always generate a negative response. However, don't be afraid to use your hands when communicating with a player, try to paint a picture in their mind of what you would like from them. With these helpful hints in communication I believe you and your team will communicate much more effectively and effective communication between players and coaches spells victory for any team.

Coaching Strategies

Coaching is an activity that enhances overall organizational performance by helping others identify, understand, and leverage their strengths to achieve results. Done well, coaching can turn performance management into a collaborative process that benefits everyone and helps individuals contribute fully to the success of the organization.
As a group we must explore the benefits of effective coaching strategies, and identify their unique behavioral strengths and how they can be leveraged in a coaching situation.

Moral Boosting Techniques For Your Team

Their are thousands upon thousands of coaches in the United States, but only a small portion of those coaches really understand how to bring out their teams maximum potential. One of the most over-looked techniques coaches can use to motivate their teams is to have individual conversations with players discussing how they can improve their style of play. This will not only get the player to work harder during training, but will also assist in improving the overall team moral.



Individual Player Meetings


Having individual player meetings is by far most important aspects to motivating your players. The meeting will improve your relationship with the player and build trust. Gain the players trust by asking questions that are not related to your team which will ultimately make you both friends. Once you have the players trust, you can discuss how they can improve the quality of their play. Don't out right say what they are doing wrong, but what areas of their game they can use to help the team's overall play.



The best coaches in the world have said that having a good relationship with their players individually was one of their main goals to help their teams play. When all their players were happy with their relationships with the coach, the overall play of the teams drastically went up.



Ask the player's opinion



The next way to conduct the player meeting is to find out what the player thinks needs to change with the team. Do not guarantee any changes to be made, but re-assure the player that their remarks will be taken into great consideration. By hearing from every player what they think could be handled differently with the team helps you to improve their moral because you have listened to their thoughts. Also, their thoughts could point out an aspect of someone of the team or a strategy that was possibly over-looked. With these techniquess in mind, you can drastically develop and enhance your teams play and moral which is the goal of any top coach.



Thursday, March 19, 2009

Steroid Use in Professional Sports


Regardless of the potential punishment for steroid use in professional sports, numerous athletes are still choosing to use steroids for one reason, steroids do work and they do increase the athletes abilities by a noticeable amount. The increase in an athlete's strength and endurance is exactly why there is a ban on the use of steroids.


Although steroids are still being used in professional sports today, there has been a substantial decrease in the amount of athletes that use them. This is mostly due to the random drug testing that almost all professional sports now administer. Another reason is the stipulations that come with using performance enhancing drugs, such as monetary fines, the scrutiny received from peers and fans, and not to mention a lifetime ban from professional sports. Take Barry Bonds for example, he chose to take steroids and now he is under federal indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice.


It's true, steroids or performance enhancing drugs can increase your strength, stamina, and overall appearance in a short amount of time but the risk taken by anyone who takes them is far greater than the short term reward. The possible legal stipulations along with the symptoms steroids and other performance enhancing drugs bring should be reason enough for professional athletes to not even think about taking steroids. Yet professional athletes still choose to use performance enhancers and in the world of professional sports, steroids and performance enhancing drugs will probably never be gone.

Team Building in Sports


Team building is a difficult thing to achieve among many athletes and it is up to the coach to make sure that there is effective communication on and off of the playing field. A good coach will clarify the objectives of the team and responsibilities of each team member. They will identify the problems that are currently preventing the team from accomplishing their goals. Also they must be the base for the development of open, honest relationships between team members that are based on the trust and understanding of one another.


In sports orginizations such as the NFL, there are several different ways that the coaches help build a stronger team. The team has regularly scheduled practices, with a training camp in the off season, they also have team meetings/briefings during practices. Some coaches and even players encourage team building through different charaitable orginizations, for example some NFL teams work with The United Way and they will go to various community elementary and middle schools and read to students throught the NFL Cares program.


Team building techniques in sports can help teams increase structural and group dynamics, and ultimately their performance. If used the right way, team building can be a powerful tool to enhance team effectiveness within a team and between teams, it can affect an entire orginization.

The right way to communicate during the recruitment process

Being a college coach of any particular sport you must know how to effectively communicate with potential student-athletes. The student-athlete may be hindering on two different schools and proper communication techiques could help sway their decision. The use of the following techniques will drastically improve the way your program is looked upon by prospective student-athletes.

The first step to effective communication with student-athletes, is to make yourself available to them. With the advent of cell phones and e-mails, this ideal has become much easier than it used to be. Give out your personal phone number and not your office to give the impression that this particular student-athlete is your top priority. Having this impression will go a long way with the student-athlete's image of the program.

Another important idea to remember is that when parents come along with the student-athlete during visits many coaches tend to only talk with the parents instead of the student-athlete. This is definately the wrong way to go about handling this situation. You need to sell your school and program to the student first, then to the parent (the latter becomes much easier when the student is impressed). Having the student-athlete handle the majority of the conversation will help to epitomize the relationship between the coach and player.

Making the relationship between yourself and the student-athlete personal is ultimately the overall goal. All sports players want a good coach, but if you are a good coach that has a tremendous relationship with the players than your image is improved in the eyes of others. The image of how you are percieved will drastically improve your chances of getting future student-athletes to committ to your program.

Also if you are going to respond by e-mail, texting, or writing a letter there are still many ways to be personal. First of all, do not make your writing look like it is a standard letter sent to anyone who applies to your program. This gives off the wrong impression to the student-athlete because it lowers high expectancy of the student-athlete-coach relationship. By sending a letter like you are friends with the prospective player creates the image of a personal relationship which you are ultimately trying to achieve.

In summation, the key idea to this whole column is that if you -the coach- makes yourself available and create a personal relationship with the prospective student-athlete will drastically improve your chances of getting this player at your program.