Email Campaign Archive

A Conversation on the Court

By Mike Tully

As coaches, we all have known the frustration of
getting our kids to talk on the court. Last night
I heard the most eloquent speech on the topic from
a young woman who is coaching in our club. 

She didn't use the word "talk." She instead
referred to the best team she ever played for,
where the players had a "constant conversation on
the court." This phrase gave me a good sense of
her team, even though I never saw them play. 

It suggests people who were mentally into the
game, and who enjoyed playing the game together.
And it raises a question: What does it mean when
teams don't talk?  

1. Maybe they just don't know. This is true of
young teams, especially those in areas where
they've never seen the sport up close. In this
case, in addition to teaching them to how talk,
coaches can do other things. They can show videos
of high-level games, inviting the new players to
LISTEN to how loud good teams are. Or coaches can
take young teams to see nearby colleges. 

2. Maybe they're just quiet, period. A couple of
years back, I coached a co-ed team that was VERY
quiet. It bothered me until my fellow coach told
me to "let it go." She said, "They like each
other, they function well together, they are
successful. Leave them alone." It was excellent
advice. This quiet team sailed through the regular
season and the playoffs without losing so much as
a single game. 

3. The third possibility is more worrisome. Some
teams are quiet because there is some inhibiting
factor. Sometimes the inhibiting factor is a lack
of leadership, with no one willing to stand up and
be counted. Even worse is the team where one or
more of the players make the others too
uncomfortable to express themselves. This is bad
chemistry, and those teams won't go very far. This
is why coaches must watch the team make-up. As the
saying goes, "play the best six, not the six best." 
 

Quite often, the issue of talk on the court
resolves itself as athletes mature and gain more
experience. In those other cases, however, it's a
good thing for coaches to look closely and see
what is it at the root of the quiet. 

-Mike Tully is a member of the "Yes, I Can!"
coaching staff. You can hear him now on his "Pep
Talk" hotline at (973) 773-2151.