TEAM SPIRIT

"PLAY HARD, PLAY TOGETHER, PLAY TO W.I.N"
At the surface level, our team mantra means exactly what it says. Play as hard as you can, play in "concert" with each other and focus on what can be done NOW, in order to win. 

 On a deeper level, it represents all of the things that make up our program. And it starts with our aim "to pursue excellence in all of our commitments." We do this by...

EMBRACING COMPETITION AS A MEANS FOR GROWTH
This involves shifting our mindset away from competition as a zero-sum game and towards a collaborative effort with our opponent; placing an emphasis on task orientation over ego orientation; expressing ourselves on the court as a unified team with a collective competitive spirit.

TASK ORIENTATION
  1. The focus is on mastering the task at hand
  2. Success is relative to how well you can do, independent of anybody else
  3. “Defeat the enemy within” the battle between you and you > the battle between you and the opponent
EGO ORIENTATION
  1. The focus is on showing that you are superior to others
  2. Success is relative to how well you did, dependent on everybody else
  3. “Reveal and conceal” If I can win, I will go for it. If I can't, I won't try very hard”
TYPES OF PLAYERS
  1. High Ability + Task Orientation: Will accept difficult goals and challenges without fear of outcome
  2. Low Ability + Task Orientation: Will accept low to moderate challenges without fear of outcome
  3. High Ability + Ego Orientation :Will only accept challenges they think they can win
  4. Low Ability + Ego Orientation: Will only accept extraordinarily difficult tasks, or super easy ones


COMPETITION IN TRAINING
  1. Competition is King! (ego)
    1. Offense and a Defense as much as possible
    2. Winner and a loser 
    3. Players must know where they stand 
  2. Feedback is Key (task)
    1. Positive reinforcement
      1. Reinforce what we want them to do > what not to do 
      2. Emphasize effort, persistence and growth 
      3. Focus on BEING great (what you can control now) over DOING great (which is based on a future outcome) 

 BUILDING A COMMUNITY THROUGH TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS

We build a community through trusting relationships. The first step is the “blind trust” that each member of our program must give to himself, his teammates and our system. The second step is the reciprocal relationship that must occur between the player and the team. The third step is to put trust into action, but expressing it within our rituals, norms, values and relationships. 

The player must trust ...
  1. Himself
  2. His Team
  3. Our System
The team trusts the player when…
  1. He puts “we” in front of “me”
  2. Sacrifices for the greater good
  3. Lives our standards of attitudes and actions
The player trusts the team when…
  1. He is physically and emotionally safe
  2. Shown that he belongs
  3. Given opportunities to grow and contribute
  4. Has freedom to express his opinions
Trust in Action
  1. Talk straight
  2. Demonstrate Respect
  3. Create Transparency
  4. Right Wrongs
  5. Show Loyalty 
  6. Deliver Results 
  7. Get Better
  8. Confront Reality 
  9. Clarify Expectations
  10. Practice Accountability 
  11. Listen First 
  12. Keep Commitments 
  13. Extend Trust 
SUSTAINING A PROCESS ORIENTED APPROACH
We sustain a process oriented approach. We enjoy the “journey” over the “destination.” Our focus will be on our ability to prepare better, perform better and reflect better. We will evolve as a program, learning and adjusting as we go, through the commitment to our process.
PREPARATION
  1. Discipline
    1. You either have discipline or you need to be disciplined (choose to BE disciplined)
      1. Internal Discipline = Freedom
      2. External Discipline = Cracks under Pressure
    2. Have a plan, stick to it and adjust as you go
      1. Create SMART goals
      2. Follow through with the process of achieving your goals (trusting self)
      3. Identify roadblocks and design ways to get around them
      4. Adjust and evolve your process as you go
    3. Embrace the repetitive tasks that make you great
      1. Stick to core fundamentals over and over and over...
  2. Confidence
    1. Shaky confidence is based on feelings 
    2. Stable confidence is based on your process
    3. Supreme confidence is when you KNOW your process produces results 
PERFORMANCE
  1. Self-1 is your conscious mind; words and thoughts involving the past and future 
  2. Self-2 is your unconscious mind; a powerful network of muscle memory activated for the present moment
  3. Learn to trust Self-2 
REFLECTION
  1. Failure is Feedback
  2. Victory is Validation
  3. Triple A's of Feedback:
    1. Aware of what is truth
    2. Acceptance of what you need to change
    3. Application of discoveries back into training
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