Sports Coach UK says that only 30% of leadership is hereditarily based, giving credence to the famous quote by Vince Lombardi, "Leaders are made, not born."
So, how much time do you currently spend developing the leadership skills of your captain(s)? The Sport Coach UK research summary presents several ideas for developing leadership skills in captains based on interviews with identified experts in the field.
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Here are some major learning points covered in the research summary:
- Create a trusting team and motivational climate.
- Foster a coaching philosophy that places importance on developing captains as leaders of the team.
- Be intentional in cultivating youth leadership in captains.
- Discuss with players and fellow coaches what leadership involves.
- Determine the method of selecting your captain(s).
- Explain to captains what their roles and duties involve and the approach that will be taken when working with them.
- Help your captains learn to lead. Don’t expect them to already know how to do it.
- Hold regular meetings and provide feedback to captains.
- Recognize that young people will make mistakes - teach them how to lead rather than criticize their current skill levels.
- Discuss with your captain how the leadership skills they learn can transfer beyond sport.
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Common Mistakes
Gould, Voelker, and Griffe (The Sport Psychologist, 2013, 27, 13-26) in their research on Best Coaching Practices for Developing Team Captains, identify seven common mistakes coaches make in selecting and developing team captains:
- Using poor selection practices (e.g., “giving it to a senior”, not having specific and communicated selection criteria)
- Giving captains an excess of responsibilities or relying on captains too much (i.e. have them do a lot more of the coaching responsibilities)
- Not giving captains enough responsibility or opportunities to lead
- Not communicating effectively with captains
- Failing to reinforce and educate captains on the roles and responsibilities of team captains
- Making assumptions about what captains know and understand about leadership
- Waiting until the season begins to select captains.
How well does your current captain selection and development process measure up? See below how one Play Like a Champion Partner School engages in a best practice for their captains.
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Scripture of the Week:
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
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Create a Captain's Council
Play Like a Champion encourages partners to create a Captain's Council. This involves getting your captains together monthly to discuss their leadership role on their teams, provide them with skill development and enable them to support one another. The picture above is St. Mary's High School in Annapolis, Maryland. They call their Captain's Council, S.A.I.L. which stands for Student Athletes in Leadership.
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The goal of S.A.I.L. is to help Captains reach their full potential by teaching them how to how to create a culture of excellence on and off the field. The captains come together once a month to discuss the qualities, commitments and responsibilities of team leaders and they learn to rely on each other for support in becoming their best leader. S.A.I.L. also promotes positive communication between coaches, administration and athletes. Watch the Video to the left explaining this excellent Captain's Council and contact us at [email protected] for more information on creating a Captain's Council for your school community!
Allison Fondale, Athletic Director at St. Mary's asserts, "S.A.I.L. was implemented to further develop the leadership skills of our athletes and to inspire a culture of excellence within our athletic teams. Having the students choose the topics and run the discussion sessions provides them with ownership of the program and allows them to collaborate with students on other teams and further their development as leaders. Play Like a Champion and the United States Naval Academy have provided the program with tremendous resources to help it excel and succeed. I am proud to say that our students value the program and aspire to be a part of it."
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Sport Reflections on the Mysteries of the Rosary |
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The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7th. Play Like a Champion provides a resource for teams to reflect on the mysteries of the rosary, including an athletic reflection. You can view all the reflections HERE. Here's a sample from the Luminous Mysteries:
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven
(Mark 1:14-15)
"After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!'”
Reflection: God’s kingdom is not far away, above us in the heavens. The kingdom is up to us to create with justice, mercy, compassion, care, love, concern for all. How can we, individually as athletes and together as a team, bring the Kingdom to our team and the game?
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Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series
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