What is Positive Coaching?

Positive coaching doesn’t mean that players get praised for no reason or that “everyone gets a trophy.”  It ultimately recognizes that sports should be player-focused and are simply one part of the overall educational and character development of our youth.  As the Triad Blackhawks see it, positive coaching means:

• Putting the interests of players ahead of the interests of coaches
• Focusing on effort rather than outcome
• Focusing on learning and continuous improvement rather than comparison to others
• Fostering an environment in which players don’t fear making mistakes.  The key to success is how one responds to mistakes.  A player who plays “mistake-free” is staying in his comfort zone and therefore is limiting his opportunities to improve.
• Seeking to win in a competitive environment but also seeking to help players develop positive character traits.  Players in a successful positive coaching environment respect the game by playing to the best of their ability and by respecting coaches, fans, teammates, opponents, and officials.  Positive coaching means respecting both the letter and spirit of the rules.
• Treating lacrosse as a means to an end and an end itself.  With rare exceptions, lacrosse will not pay the bills or carry one through life.  The life lessons learned from lacrosse, however, are timeless.
• Looking for positives in players and focus on the positives over the negatives.  Positive coaches give truthful, specific, and corrective feedback and avoid praise when praise is not justified.

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