It’s not easy being a team player. As humans, we tend to be more concerned about what’s good for ourselves, but a team player knows that sometimes what’s best for the team is not always going to agree with what’s best for them. How can you help your child be a team player?
Teach them to spell TEAM
There is no “I” in the word team. It’s not about how many points I score, or how many tackles I rack up, or how many rebounds I pull down. It’s about what the team needs in order to succeed. It’s okay to keep stats for your kids—it helps them know if they are improving—but players should not be obsessive over them. Teaching your athlete to care more about the success of their team than their own successes will not only help them to develop in sports, but will help them to be great partners and friends in life.
Teach them the importance of each role on the team
Every team is comprised of individual players, but without every player, there can be no team. Remind your child that no matter how good of an athlete he is, he cannot win the game by himself.
Take the other four players off the basketball court and you’ll see the star player fail. Take away a quarterback’s offensive line, and you’ll see him repeatedly sacked. Without every player on the team—regardless of their role—no individual can succeed.
Teach them the importance of team chemistry
Putting together a team is like conducting a chemistry experiment. Mixing and matching players for a winning combination is definitely a science. What’s best for the team may not always be what your athlete wants, but if they can commit to their role, they will learn the value of building team chemistry. So many moments in sports directly correlate to lessons in life, and if your athlete understands the benefit of building chemistry with their team, they can succeed in building relationships for life.
As athletes, our children enter a learning environment whenever they step onto the court or field. Let’s teach them that being a team player will earn them a passing grade every time.
