Trust and Respect

As most of you know I play competitive sport and a few things have happened over the last week that got me thinking about all the teams that I have played in be that state level or down to my social comps that I played along the way. I started my sporting journey as a kid at the age of 5 kicking a soccer ball and then I picked up a netball at age 6. I also had small moments of tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball and gymnastics mixed in there. I did soccer and netball simultaneously until age 12 were I have up soccer to continue playing netball.

I consider myself lucky that my parents, mainly my mother took the time out of her life to drive me around from different netball competitions, training’s and tournaments. As a kid we’d get up crazy early to play netball at 9 am Saturday morning to then drive some where and go play soccer. There was many a rainy day spent running around in mud. Then to top it off some Sunday’s were spent out at either netball or soccer tournaments.

I’m currently in training to go to my 10th Men’s netball nationals, and a few weeks ago our leadership group was announced. It got me thinking about previous teams I had played in and what made them successful and why I thought the leadership group and coach brought to the team. And two words came to mind Trust and Respect and really you can’t have one without the other.

Earn respect by not only saying the right things but backing them up with your actions. From a coach this is providing answers, being open to questions and discussions and providing honest feedback. A coach that doesn’t provide answers or an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the happenings of the team or individual performance closes themselves off from the individual player and team. Without this building block of respect, players will not trust the processes of the coach and any feedback provided will be jaded. The leadership group is a reflection of the coach especially if the coach makes the decision on who to include. Including players that represent there ideas, ideals and structures and rewarding those that they feel contribute to the team and bring the best out in those around them. Its combination of doing your role for the team both on and off the court, lifting those up around you so they can perform at their best while performing at your best and recognizing that each individual will require something uniquely different.

A team dynamic can make or break a team when it gets to the crunch time, most teams can stick together through the good times because everything is going well few issues arise but when the tough times come and things aren’t going so well teams that don’t trust and respect each other are more likely to fall apart. In the tough times a team needs to come together and have each others backs no matter what else is going on.

Things I personally need from a coach and leadership group is someone that is going to challenge me to do different things and provide with the tools to do them. I need someone who will provide me with honest feedback and hold me to the standard I can play at not the level need to or the level of my opponent. I am my own worse enemy I am increasingly hard on myself and get into my own head so I require someone to get me out of my own and not over think things.

I’m looking forward to nationals it’s going to be a challenge and it will take a real team effort to bring back another national title but its self belief and belief in each other that will get us through the tournament.