I have been thinking a lot about the concept of being an individual, while still being a great team member. There is a lot of focus on team building, team unity, and group cohesion; and rightfully so. Functioning as a group is a large part of any team’s (or companies) success. That all being said, I want to explore what we may lose. I say “may” because I think the really good teams, groups, and companies have found a great balance between team identity and individualism.
Consider the warmup for a sports team. Most competitions have a set time when you can start and how long the warmup period is. In most high school gyms, the team is isolated in a sense from the outside world prior to warmups. I am not suggesting they are in a bubble, but usually they are not allowed to wander around much before the start. The coach wants them to “get in the game mode frame of mind”. Then, the teams run out to some blaring loud music, do some sort of stretching, then some sport-specific warmup. 130 beats per minute, volume 11, and pure chaos of energy. The problem is about the player who thrives in a calm and orderly environment. We talk about athletes getting in the “zone” and “flow”, but are we taking away the tools to do that from some of our team members?
I was one of those types. Midget football, marching band, volleyball, even know when I game online. If it is a major event, I like to make order out of chaos in the environment around me. Before you start thinking I am talking about removing the high energy of competition, I’m not. I am simply saying the path for me to get in the zone is very different than others. It usually starts with a fun, light song. It then moves to a slow/depressing song (think Fade into You, by Mazzy Star). It ends with the same song, every single time. Heroic Polonaise by Chopin. I won’t dive into why this works for me, but it does and is very powerful in helping me get into my optimal zone. I bring this example up because when I was not able to do my individual process, my game suffers. It is just a part of who I am.
How this relates to the main topic is the question “are we robbing our players of the chance to be at their optimal performance level to create a team culture that we feel is a benefit?” I guess what I am saying is how much do we value the individual contributions vs the team contributions. There is a fine balance between getting the most out of a player and getting the most out of a team.
One of the changes I made as a coach in the past three years was letting my players be more individual pre-game. For example, we typically get to a venue 2 hours/1.5 hours before match time. We arrive at 5:30, change into uniforms and all that fun stuff. We USED to start a long process of pre-game from 6:00 – 6:40. Then the official warmup would begin. The start of our first block would basically be choreographed things like a dynamic warmup, block jumps on the net, approaches, etc. Then we would get into some sort of passing, etc. Anyone who has seen a volleyball match knows what I am talking about. If you don’t…Go watch a volleyball match! Now, I tend to let them do what they want, as long as it contributes to their overall preparation for the match. Some stretch more, some pass, some sit and talk with their parents a little. What I have found is that our “looking like a team” actually looks better when it counts (i.e. when the scoreboard is on). The players are a lot more focused and in their zone. This past season, we got to play a very limited schedule, so we did not get to work on that concept, and it showed. We never really seemed to click for those matches, even though we have been spending a lot of time together in the gym.
As I started to work with other coaches and other sports, I noticed there were a lot of the same concepts. It may not be the exact same thing, but there was a lot of “hey, let’s look like a team when we do our warmup”. I am not saying there is NO place for that, I just wonder if we could better use that time to focus on the individuals and let the competition bring them together as a team. This all ties back into the first episode of the new podcast The Proper Atmosphere (shameless plug). Do coaches set the environment at times that helps to grow a player’s anxiety, when there is a chance for them to set an environment that fosters growth and focus?
Here is my challenge to the coaches and the managers out there. Take a step back and look at your pre-game process. What can you do to help foster the individual as well as getting the most out of the team? Is it as simple as letting players do whatever they want such as listen to their headphones, play video games, or hang out with friends in family, right up to the point where you start your official warmup? How much dialogue do you have with your team about what they need, beyond the X’s and O’s, to be the best?
I would love to hear your thoughts and practices that may have worked for you.
