Win in Off-Season
Off-season has always been something stressed in any sport. Every
Athlete understands that in order to be successful in your sport, it is
essential to have a great off-season to develop the physical attributes
critical to that sport. What about developing good character attributes?
Off-season can be utilized for more
than merely honing skills for a particular sport. Off-season can also help build good
character. Angela Lumpkin1 stated, “One of the most important roles
of interscholastic sport coaches is to emphasize the character development of
their athletes by serving as positive role models.” So many skills (both on and
off the field) can be built on during the off-season. During my football
off-season, I use Fridays as mentor day, discussing topics such as what can the
use of steroids do and what is your five year plan after high school. If
developing this pattern in high school, possibly fewer athletes will turn down
the wrong path. Try to win in off-season in numerous ways.
Having good morals and character can take athletes further in life.
1Lumpkin, A., & Stokowski, S. (2011). Interscholastic Sports: A
Character-Building Privilege. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 47(3),
124-128
2014, February 6). Newark Academy's summer athletic camps teach skills
while building character. Item of Millburn and Short Hills, The (NJ). p.
10.
Botta, S. J. (2007). Winning with character: A practical coaching resource
for building character through athletics. Dissertation Abstracts
International Section A, 67,
Absolutely, I agree 100% with you. If a coach can build and install good character into his athletes, those athletes will experience true success later in life. Doing those character building drills also helps teams grow closer, which in turn creates a more successful organization.
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