One of the best ways to teach your players life lessons while striving to win – the two goals of a Responsible Coach – is to get them to ask questions. Many players are reluctant to do so, often because they fear admitting to a gap in knowledge will cost them playing time, or because they are embarrassed to speak up in front of their peers.
But encouraging them to ask questions can meet many needs for players and coaches alike. First and foremost, it is important for players’ current and future well-being that they learn how to express themselves and understand that asking questions is often the only way to get the information necessary to succeed on and off the ice.
Also, chances are that if one player has questions about a skill or drill, so do other players. Therefore, getting that one player to ask a question may elicit the information that all the players need in order to improve.
Players often speak the language of their peers in a way that a coach cannot. For example, if you are used to saying, “go upstairs on that breakaway,” and a player asks, “Coach, does that mean shoot high, above the goalie’s shoulders?” more of your players are likely to pick up on the message.
Once you get one player to break the ice, and when you thank and praise that player for speaking up, other players will follow with their own questions. You might also want to reward players with more than just praise, for example, handing out a question-of-the-day award. Consider rewarding a question-asker with a captaincy for the next game. After all, the player asking questions shows that he or she wants to improve, thereby exhibiting the leadership traits of a captain.
Another way to get players to ask questions is through “homework” assignments. You can periodically hand out blank note cards and ask players to bring the cards back to the next practice with a written question about their sport, their responsibility on certain plays, or how to be a better player or teammate.
That way, players are thinking about their sports away from the ice, which can contribute to improved performance. They also are learning to formulate and write questions, which are skills needed throughout the rest of their lives.
Such assignments also introduce and reinforce the idea that success in sports is intertwined with intellect and study. That idea may make studying seem easier by mixing it with hockey and can cultivate the behavior that will be necessary from middle school onward to maintain academic eligibility for sports. An additional benefit for Responsible Coaches using this tactic is allying yourself with parents when you join their efforts to develop well-rounded student-athletes.
Some players will respond better to writing assignments, and others will prefer to stick to spoken communication. Either way, the next time you finish explaining a drill and ask, “Any questions?” don’t take no for an answer!
In an effort to benefit millions of youth athletes, parents and coaches, this article is among a series created exclusively for partners in the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports ProgramTM powered by Positive Coaching Alliance (http://www.positivecoach.org).
