J.A.M. Newsletter: 12/27/15

J.A.M. Newsletter: 12/27/15
Dear Coach, Parents, Players Hope your Holiday season is filled with family, friends, and many blessings. Upcoming JAM events include JAM Day with the Buffs January 4th. Look for information on our web front page regarding the basketball clinic and game vs. USC on January 4th. January 17th and 18th is the Martin Luther Tournament Showcase. The MLK Showcase is another in our series of incentive based tournaments for your club teams or school teams to raise money for your program. This month’s addition of the JAM newsletter focus is 11 championship habits by Alan Stein. Registration for all JAM events is available on-line. Remember Our #1 priority for JAM continues helping coaches and parents build confidence in today’s youth. Continue setting goals to make sure plans are in line to improve your game. - Mark Sharpley 11 Championship Habits Many coaches are thankful for the opportunity to work with their players and team for a significant amount of time. Learning important aspects such as the pulse of how their players are doing (mentally and physically). Coach Alan Stein is heading into his fifth season at DeMatha and has learned first-hand what it takes for a program to be successful consistently. While no one would never argue how helpful it is to have very talented players (and DeMatha most certainly does), Coach Stein has learned it is actually the little things that make a big difference. It is the little things that make an average team a good team, a good team a great team and great team a championship team. These little things are known as “Championship Habits.” However, the key is not to focus on winning a championship (outcome based). The key is to focus on developing these championship habits (process based). That is a powerful distinction. Here are some self-evaluating questions that every player and coach in every program needs to answer honestly to maximize the team’s potential. These 11 questions will clue you in to your team’s commitment to championship habits. And while it is important for you to know the answers to these questions, it is equally important for everyone else in your program to know them as well. 1. What are your team’s goals (or standards) for this season? 2. Does everyone in your program know their exact role? Do they accept it and embrace it? 3. Does everyone prepare for practice with the same mentality they prepare for games? 4. Do you believe on any given night that any team can beat you? Do you believe you can beat anyone? 5. Is your team on top of their schoolwork? Will academics be a distraction during the season? 6. Is your team getting ample sleep, eating breakfast, drinking plenty of water and appropriately tending to injuries every day? 7. Does your team get to practice 15 minutes early to get in extra shooting and ball handling work? Do they stay after practice as well? 8. During practice, is everyone an energy giver? Is your enthusiasm contagious? 9. Does your team warm-up properly before all practices and games? 10. Does your team continue to strength train during the season? 11. Does your team exercise the pillars of teamwork both on and off the court?
A Word to the Wise
"One thing about championship teams is that they're resilient. No matter what is thrown at them, no matter how deep the hole, they find a way to bounce back and overcome adversity. " ~ Nick Saban