Building Your Team

**This column appeared in the Argus Leader on Sept. 14, 2015.

The season is well underway, and athletes are experiencing the grind of practices and games and the highs and lows of being part of a team. Developing a team first mentality is a challenge for young athletes, and it can be difficult for them to manage their inability to control things like playing time, play calling or ultimately winning or losing.

Teams need to work together and find their stride, and individual athletes contribute to the team mindset. I often talk about football being the greatest team sport, and at this point in the season, it is important to focus on the things you can still do to improve your team.

Helping with team chemistry. Team chemistry is the number one factor that I look for with all the teams that I have coached. Teams with tremendous talent that lack team chemistry become a very average team. Teams with average talent that have great team chemistry become excellent teams. A team with great chemistry finds ways to be encouraging, accepting and challenging to its individual members. That dynamic causes individuals to step up, and the team becomes stronger as a result. You can help build chemistry on your team by encouraging your teammates and coaches, accepting your role on the team and continuing to challenge yourself and your teammates every day.

Getting adequate diet, sleep and nutrition. Many young athletes never even factor in a diet plan or what is nutritional for them. Sleep is often neglected in this day and age of social media, and athletes don’t get enough rest because they are constantly connected to their social environment. If an athlete is truly going to be committed to his team, he must realize that the commitment is not only at practice or games, but all week long.

Your team needs to know that they can rely on you to get through the week, and you are doing everything you can to mentally and physically prepare your body for the season. Athletes should be getting at least nine hours of sleep, constantly drinking water,and continually monitoring what they are putting in their body and brain. You need to take care of yourself as an individual athlete in order to give your best contribution and performance as part of your team.

Finding a balance between school and sport. While young athletes don’t always have a mindset about the importance of school, they need to focus on being student athletes. We want kids to be involved in sports for a number of reasons, but they need to keep perspective about the odds of them eventually making a career out of sports. Remind your athletes that football is an extracurricular activity, and the reason they have this activity is because school provides this for them.

They will not be able to play high school or college football unless they have good grades and remain eligible. Sometimes athletes lose perspective because of the amount of time that is committed to practice, film and game prep, so some reminders from coaches and parents can definitely help. You should always take care of academics first.

As parents and coaches, we can help athletes avoid complacency in these areas and continue to improve physically and mentally every day. The best contribution athletes can make at this stage of the season is to focus on the things they can control and help raise their team’s performance. Athletes will learn a great deal about themselves and about the game if they learn what it means to do their part for something bigger than themselves. Your collective effort will make a successful team, win or lose.

A Letter to Athletes

**This column also appeared in the Argus Leader on Aug. 3, 2015.

Dear athlete,

It seems like it has taken forever to arrive, but football season is finally about to begin. Whether it is going to be your first year playing, or you are putting on the pads for a final season in high school or college, there is much to be learned from the upcoming season. Many of us fondly remember our football playing days, and we will be lacing up our cleats along with you in spirit this fall. As I reflect back on those days and work with athletes of all ages in preparation for the season, there are a few reminders I can offer you:

Be a good teammate. Football is the greatest team sport. You have to work together with every person doing his best in his role in order to succeed. Individual glory is not the goal, and you will gain so much from standing together with your teammates through all the challenges and joys of a season. Remember that every single person has a role, and you will all be better in the end if you support each other in those roles.

Compete with respect. You are an athlete, and your competitive nature is what helps you to succeed in many situations. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that you always represent your team, your school or your community. Great competitors have respect for their opponents and their sport, so be sure to demonstrate your best sportsmanship during games and practice.

Be grateful. I know exactly how hard athletes work to achieve their goals, but they never reach that goal without a great deal of support and guidance. Families, coaches, teammates and communities all contribute to an athlete’s success. Don’t forget that you are fortunate to have the opportunity to play the game, and your successes come from a network of people who believe in you. Say thank you often, and mean it.

Play with heart. There is nothing I enjoy more than working with athletes who play for the love of the game. If your heart isn’t into long days of practice, training and the challenges of playing football, it will show in everything that you do. You don’t have to be the best athlete on the field, if you play with heart you will gain from every single experience. Play the sport you love, and love the sport you play.

Adjust your attitude. It is difficult to tell young players how grueling a season can be. There can be crazy ups and downs that face players and teams, and you need to be mentally prepared to face the challenges. Control the things that you can and face the things that you can’t with your best effort and attitude. Every player makes mistakes. It is your job to learn from them and use it to improve.

Enjoy every moment. Don’t ever forget why you play this game. It won’t seem like it during two-a-days, but seasons will pass quickly, moments of joy and frustration become memories, and you won’t stand beside your teammates every day with a common goal. I promise that win or lose, the moments that will play out on the field this fall will be some of your most cherished memories. Be sure to be enjoy the days and experiences.

Best of luck to you as the season begins. Win or lose, I hope you take pride in your contributions to your team and to the sport.

Sincerely,
Coach Riggs

Team Players Elevate the Game

**This column also appeared in the Argus Leader on June 21, 2015.

One of the questions I am asked by parents and athletes at every level is, “What do I need to do to be great?”

The answer obviously varies depending on the athleticism and circumstances of athletes, and the variables that can make athletes successful are not always within their control. That being said, in my experience there are some things that all truly great athletes have in common, and many of those things are within an athlete’s ability to define. We tend to think about physical training as the key to being the best at your sport. Physical training is definitely important, but it goes beyond that. If you want to be a great athlete, think about these things:

1. Work ethic

At every level of competition, hard-working players will find a place on a team. Athletes who want to compete at the top of their game must be willing to put in the time to get better, even outside of practice hours. The greatest players usually are the ones who arrive first and leave last. They simply put in as much time as they can because they want to get better. They also put 100 percent effort into every moment of practice. They work so hard that everyone else has to raise the level of play to be able to compete. Consider the message you send to coaches and teammates with your work ethic, and make sure it is a positive one.

2. Coachability

The best players know that they can always improve their game, and that they need guidance and advice to do so. Even the most successful players have flaws, and they must be willing to accept coaching to improve their skill set. If a great player is not willing to work within the team concept, then it can destroy a team. Great athletes who are not coachable are not great players. The willingness to listen and accept coaching advice can help elevate a player to be his/her very best. Be sure to listen to the suggestions your coaches give to you, and incorporate their suggestions.

3. Positive mindset and attitude

All athletes are going to face adversity. Great players are able to meet and overcome those challenges. The best players have persistence that will not allow them to quit, and they learn from facing their obstacles. Defeat is never permanent, and they take the things they learn from meeting adversity and use them to get better. When the going gets tough for the team, remind yourself that you are there to learn and find a way to turn adversity around.

4. Being a team player

Great players know that their success depends on the strength of the team. No matter their role, they will work to get their teammates involved and help utilize whatever strengths they offer. The best players will challenge their teammates in a positive way to benefit the team. The players who succeed want to contribute to a team environment that says individual accomplishment is less important than succeeding together. When you attend games and practices, ask yourself whether your words and actions are contributing to a positive team environment.

In all my years of coaching and at every level of competition, there are always athletes on a team who exemplify these characteristics of success. You should always work on the physical side of your game, but what will truly make you great is your passion for the game, dedication to improvement, and extraordinary commitment to the team. Focus on your training, but also be the person on the team who never complains or gives up, who looks out for teammates, and who works tirelessly to make himself and the team better. If you do those things, you will be a good athlete and a great player.

Teamwork: Putting it All Together

In order to have a winner, the team must have a feeling of unity; every player must put the team first-ahead of personal glory. -Paul “Bear” Bryant

I have learned a great deal from my conversations with people about the lessons they have taken from football. Many of the kids I heard from told me how much they had learned about playing their position and improving their football technique. The adults were more reflective on things, as you would expect, and I appreciate their insights on the lessons of discipline, determination, humility and respect as important parts of sportsmanship and success in football. The final theme that people discussed was teamwork.

Football is the ultimate of team sports. One football play has so many moving parts and its success is solely reliant on the trust of each guy doing their specific job. Most importantly, football is truly a game of discipline and adversity, and success depends on how both of these are handled. If these two components are taught and learned, not only does success come on a field but it provides a foundation to be successful in all facets of life. --Jed S. 

I was fortunate to attend a high school that constantly preached the team first mentality. My coach was able to get the players to realize that we were not good enough to beat teams with individual talent, and our only hope for success was to play as one unit. Early failures and late success helped our team realize that our coach was right.

Those early experiences helped me understand the greatest part of football is the sense of accomplishment as a team. There are so many people who contribute during a season. It is an awesome feeling when people can see how their contributions are only one facet of the complete workings of a team. When athletes understand that their teammates were working as hard if not harder than they were so that everyone would have the opportunity to reach the team goal, a major step in maturing as an athlete and a person occurs. It is an important lesson for kids to learn that they can achieve much more working together than they ever would working alone.

A critical aspect of working as a team is the ability to do whatever is asked to make the team better: 

To be selfless is the most important thing I've learned about football. It doesn't matter what level you are, or what your involvement is with the team, if you are selfless then you are making the team better. To me, being selfless means so many things. It means as a player you want to do everything you can to make the team better. It means that during the off season you train as hard as you can to be the best player you can be. It means that if you aren't a starter you cheer the team on with a good attitude as if you were in the game. People have to understand that we weren't all created with the same abilities so there could be someone more talented than you. And that's fine because I guarantee there is a place on the team where everyone will succeed. --Chad C.

A team’s success requires individuals that are truly willing to be selfless and sacrifice for the greater good. I have been a part of many great teams and with each of them, the first thing you recognize is that every great team plays as one. Every player and coach accepts his role and buys into the team goals and the team strategy for achieving those goals. Setting egos and individual goals aside is not easy, but the satisfaction that comes from the team effort and experience is well worth it.

Parents and coaches can help kids understand that every position on the field matters, and every kid on the field and on the sidelines contributes to the end result. Help them to see that it takes every single player fulfilling his role in order to find success. Great satisfaction comes not from individual performance, but in caring about their teammates enough to set individual needs aside and trust each other to achieve something bigger than they ever could alone.

Kids who understand the value of working together, sacrificing for the greater good, and winning or losing graciously as a team will have learned one of the most valuable lessons of sportsmanship...and some valuable life lessons as well.