In just about every aspect of our society "Success" and "Winning" tend to be defined literally and figuratively by some form of scoreboard. US Club Soccer strives to redefine and reinforce a more complete definition of "winner".
The traditional definition of a "winner" is the person or team that does the best on the scoreboard. Even a team that is outplayed in every facet of a game but comes away with more scoreboard points is declared the winner. The scoreboard is only one measure of success, but not the most significant measure.
Mastery
Whereas the scoreboard orientation of winning is concerned with results over which no one has complete control, what we call the "Mastery" orientation focuses on that which we do control: personal effort.
The scoreboard framework focuses on comparisons with others, and it spawns counter-productive thinking. The Mastery orientation focuses on learning and improvement and fosters productive thinking: "Is this my very best effort? How much of myself am I giving? I may not be able to control whether I am the best ball handler on the field, but I can control whether I continue to learn and improve." This mental framework gives the athlete a sense of mastery, bolsters self- confidence and, as a by-product, improves performance.
Mistakes & Learning
Many in today's scoreboard-centric society consider mistakes on the scale of small (or large!) catastrophes. There should be no doubt, however, that making mistakes is a key part of any learning process, at any level of the game. Here's what 'keeper coach Tim Hanley, entering his eighth season with the San Jose Earthquakes, has to offer on the topic:
"As coaches we are not building robots, perfect little positions on a grid that do exactly what we intend (coach's ego). Let go! We are helping create artists. I want my players to show me something I haven't seen before. I can be seen hollering 'GO GO GO!, Take 'em on!,' all the time. I want players who can play every position with enormous amounts of both technical skill and confidence. As coaches, if we are not pushing the envelope and encouraging our athletes to make mistakes in practice, then we are being complacent."
When given the freedom to make mistakes athletes will learn more quickly and have less anxiety when competing. The Mastery Definition of "Winner" asserts that making mistakes is not the issue but, more importantly, how players respond to mistakes.
Proven Advantage of Mastery
Sports psychology research is clear, a focus on mastery decreases anxiety and increases self- confidence. When athletes experience less anxiety, they tend to experience more joy in sports. And when self-confidence increases so does the competitive spirit.
Albert Bandura, Stanford University psychologist and member of PCA's National Advisory Board, has demonstrated with many years of research that when a person's self-confidence increases, he or she tends to work harder and stick to tasks longer.
"For us as coaches, this is key," says Coach Hanley. "Think about it. When we can increase our team's confidence, our players will work harder in practice and stick to tasks longer. A perfect learning environment."
Mastery and Scoreboard
Now let's be clear-we are not saying that you banish the scoreboard. US Club Soccer athletes are perfectly capable of thinking about the scoreboard on their own without any help from a coach or parent.
"A few years back, one of my youth teams was miserable at playing 'possession' in training. Why? No goals or points given, no score, no clearly defined 'Winner'. And yet today they beg to play 'possession' and it's become part of our training ritual. There is this sheer joy reveling in the simplest part of soccer, just moving the ball around quickly. I stand back and watch them succeed," says Coach Hanley.
To learn more about the US Club Soccer-PCA Partnership, or bringing the benefits of Positive Coaching to your club, visit Positive Coaching Alliance at www.PositiveCoach.org
[Adapted from US Club Soccer April 2005 Newsletter, www.usclubsoccer.org]