Expert: Michael Muro - 7/12/2006

Question
I play  organised bball and my team is good but we fall apart at the end of the game how can i keep my team focused and playing hard for the whole game? I am the leader what can i vocally tell them to stay together  

Answer
Hello Noel Moran,

Leadership is much more then words, it is your actions! I am sure you have heard "actions speak louder than words".

Lead by example: Be the first to practice and the last to leave; Have a positive attitude no matter what the circumstances are; Be respectful to your parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, coaches, teammates, and opponents; Go as hard as you can in practice and the games; Be a leader off the court; Go to all your classes and be on time; do all your school work; sacrifice personal accomplishments for the good of the team.

we always tell our point guard to do the following as he is usually our leader as everything starts with the point guard.

As a team leader, you must be willing to work harder than anyone else in practice so as to "lead by example". You must try to get along well with all your teammates and be a "peace-maker". Don't allow players to belittle each other (often done in a joking, but still hurtful, way). Be a leader in promoting team spirit and unity. Make the younger teammates and those teammates who get less playing time feel important too, that they are contributing also.

I hope this helps and for your team they sound like they are choking at the end of the games or fatigue is kicking in and that is when we revert to bad habits.

Try and keep the end of the game loose and care free but still with focus. Try not to focus on winning or loosing but executing your game plan for the entire game and especially at the end of the game. Make sure your team is in shape as lots of times when players or teams choke is when they are fatigued.

I hope this helps and good luck with the team and being a leader!