2008-07-04
Coach Marshall, How do you Coach the "Superstar" Athlete? (you do a good job on handling the superstar athlete.)
Thanks...First, let's define the term superstar. A Superstar athlete is one who, by virtue of superior physical and/or mental skills, is consistently able to dictate or control the flow and outcomes of games. The superstar is a clearly dominant performer on his level of competition, and winner" in the sense that he functions as well or better in pressure-filled situations as in situations in which the outcome is no longer in question. Every coach should have the opportunity to coach at least one bona fide superstar athlete in his career. Highly skilled, highly motivated athletes are a joy to coach-and they make winning so much easier, too! Get the ball to a Leon Merritt or a Londell Bright often enough in the course of a game, and wonderful things begin to happen sooner or later. In the course of 18 years of coaching, at Henry Ford, I've been fortunate enough to have coached seven athletes who I thought qualified as authentic superstars at the time I coached them. Leon Merritt, Londell Bright, Dennis Hubbard, Kendrew Wright, Tamike Godbold, Damon Dowdell, & Jeremy Orr. Aside from thir superior skills-the most obvious prerequisite for superstardom--these young athletes shared three common traits which relate directly or indirectly to motivation.First, they possessed an uncommonly high degree of competitive drive, self-discipline, and self-motivation. Second, they responded very well to instruction and were willing to work on new techniques without questioning on their part or prodding on my part. While not every superstar athlete is as coachable as those I was associated with, there are many advantages to coaching such athletes, including the following: 1. They can make you an instant (and consistent) winner. Coaching superstar athletes is like teaching gifted classes: whatever you do is likely to work. In team sports, the presence of a superstar in the lineup tends to force opponents to play you differntly than they would otherwise. They may have to make changes in their basic style of play in order to control the superstar's performance. And the farther a team strays from what it does best the less likely it is to be successful in controlling opponents. 2. They tend to make everyone else on the team work harder and play more effectively. If you're an offensive lineman blocking for an Leon Merritt or a Londell Bright, for example, you don't have to open holes for them to run through: all they need is half a hole. They'll do the rest themselves, by breaking the arm tackles. The knowledge that even a half-effective effort on your part is likely to make you look like an extremely proficient blocker should provide all the motivation you need to work as hard as you can to give your superstar that half-step he needs to clear the line and break a long run downfield. The presence of a superstar makes everyone on the team look better than they actually are. 3. The presence of one or more superstar athletes can bring publicity and recognition to your program. Media attention is naturally drawn to superior players. (It was, in fact, the media who invented and popularized the concept of superstars.) Increased exposure of your athletes to public notice always has a highly desirable positive effect on your total program.
2008-07-04
Coach Marshall, How do you Coach the "Superstar" Athlete? (you do a good job on handling the superstar athlete.)
Thanks...First, let's define the term superstar. A Superstar athlete is one who, by virtue of superior physical and/or mental skills, is consistently able to dictate or control the flow and outcomes of games. The superstar is a clearly dominant performer on his level of competition, and winner" in the sense that he functions as well or better in pressure-filled situations as in situations in which the outcome is no longer in question. Every coach should have the opportunity to coach at least one bona fide superstar athlete in his career. Highly skilled, highly motivated athletes are a joy to coach-and they make winning so much easier, too! Get the ball to a Leon Merritt or a Londell Bright often enough in the course of a game, and wonderful things begin to happen sooner or later. In the course of 18 years of coaching, at Henry Ford, I've been fortunate enough to have coached seven athletes who I thought qualified as authentic superstars at the time I coached them. Leon Merritt, Londell Bright, Dennis Hubbard, Kendrew Wright, Tamike Godbold, Damon Dowdell, & Jeremy Orr. Aside from thir superior skills-the most obvious prerequisite for superstardom--these young athletes shared three common traits which relate directly or indirectly to motivation.First, they possessed an uncommonly high degree of competitive drive, self-discipline, and self-motivation. Second, they responded very well to instruction and were willing to work on new techniques without questioning on their part or prodding on my part. While not every superstar athlete is as coachable as those I was associated with, there are many advantages to coaching such athletes, including the following: 1. They can make you an instant (and consistent) winner. Coaching superstar athletes is like teaching gifted classes: whatever you do is likely to work. In team sports, the presence of a superstar in the lineup tends to force opponents to play you differntly than they would otherwise. They may have to make changes in their basic style of play in order to control the superstar's performance. And the farther a team strays from what it does best the less likely it is to be successful in controlling opponents. 2. They tend to make everyone else on the team work harder and play more effectively. If you're an offensive lineman blocking for an Leon Merritt or a Londell Bright, for example, you don't have to open holes for them to run through: all they need is half a hole. They'll do the rest themselves, by breaking the arm tackles. The knowledge that even a half-effective effort on your part is likely to make you look like an extremely proficient blocker should provide all the motivation you need to work as hard as you can to give your superstar that half-step he needs to clear the line and break a long run downfield. The presence of a superstar makes everyone on the team look better than they actually are. 3. The presence of one or more superstar athletes can bring publicity and recognition to your program. Media attention is naturally drawn to superior players. (It was, in fact, the media who invented and popularized the concept of superstars.) Increased exposure of your athletes to public notice always has a highly desirable positive effect on your total program.