Help Players Win the Most Important Battle of the Day.

What % of the time do we set aside in practice to work on the mental side of the game? Like many coaches (myself included), it's probably not been enough. Set aside time in each practice session to work on the most significant battle of the day. Your mind.

Something that we have started is a pre and post-practice routine we call "Check Points."

We set aside 4 minutes at the beginning and at the end of practice to set our minds. We do this with a series of questions which include:

1. What does each player want to bring to this session and this group of people (their teammates and coaches today)?

2. What is each player and coach setting their mind on to bring to this practice today?

3. What are the measurable commitments you will make in the session, and what will be your focus today?

We end our session with another "Check Point." We set aside the last four minutes to review how they did with their commitments and focus.

1. What went well?

2. What did they overcome?

3. What did we have success with or struggle with within the session?

4. What do they need to recommit to the next session?