Self-Awareness – The Basketball Coaching Roadmap

Does Self-Awareness Help You Become A Better Coach?

The capacity to self-reflect is essential when implementing the steps of the Basketball Coaching Roadmap – Communication, Organization, Adaptability, Consistency, Honesty and Encouragement. You might be surprised to hear self-awareness is so important since it’s not a technical skill and has little to do with your knowledge of basketball drills and plays. It’s a human skill; one that offers you the opportunity to deepen your understanding of yourself and your players. It’s through that process that success emerges.

Over time, self-awareness allows you to become intimately familiar with your coaching strengths and weaknesses. If you think this sounds easy, give it a try. There are all kinds of barriers that are likely to interfere. It’s hard to admit that you don’t always have the answer; you make mistakes and you have limitations. You can’t possibly know everything about basketball – maybe you’re lacking knowledge about post play and the drills required for development. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you to plan accordingly; highlight your strengths and seek help to improve your weaknesses. This understanding allows you to become part of your team. You display positive behaviour and you work to improve alongside your players with the aim of becoming stronger together.

One of the biggest benefits of self-awareness is simply, knowing how you are doing. Coaching can be a stressful and demanding task. Players, parents and communities expect a lot from coaches and have their own ideas about how the team should be functioning. Many coaches are volunteering or dedicating their time to coaching in addition to having a full-time job or other responsibilities. It’s important to regularly check in with yourself and take necessary measures to avoid the pitfalls of stress. It’s nearly impossible to remain encouraging, stay organized, be honest and build successful relationships when you’re burnt out and exhausted. Self-awareness allows you to intervene earlier so that you can get the rest or self-care you need before your mood starts to impact the team.

When we started this season I believed we could contend in March. I knew the journey would not be without roadblocks and bumps to overcome. You might think that describes all seasons but we have been lucky to experience only minimal setbacks in the last few years. We surprised everyone and probably over achieved the first half of the season going undefeated in 17 games against Canadian College competition. January has been a different story, last night we lost our second game in a row. The first lost was on the road to the defending National Champions and we played pretty well and had a chance to win.

Last night, we lost at home to a good Niagara squad. After each game I assess my own performance with the intention of becoming a better coach and improving our team. I try not to let this process consume me but I’m not always successful – especially after a losing streak. It’s something that I am aware of and will continue to work on. To summarize my post-game thoughts, I wasn’t happy with everyone’s performance, including myself. I am optimistic that we are capable of bouncing back and moving forward but failure has a funny way of casting a giant shadow of doubt. This is the first real setback for our season and it is my job to remove that doubt and lead us down a path of improvement, not blame.

If you had told me before the season started that we would be leading the conference and only have two losses in late January I would have taken that in a heartbeat. I need to make my players and coaches aware of the big picture and understand that even in defeat we can get better.

This semester we have lost a few players to injuries and Christmas departures which have affected our regular practice routine. I need to be doing a better job helping everyone move forward and work together with the players currently available. In the coming weeks we will work to improve our focus during practices which will help us become more prepared for the upcoming game.

In my journey to become more self-aware, I have found it helpful to do four things:

1. Define our team’s philosophy (what we want to be known for) and expectations. Does their performance in games and practices align with the philosophy and expectation?
2. Define the type of coach I want to be (e.g. positive energy, communicative, honest, consistent, etc.)
3. During times of struggle, ask myself “does this parallel anything happening in my own life right now?” (e.g. if I’m feeling less confident as a coach lately, does the team play with less confidence?)
4. Live in the moment. Use the present to get better, the past to learn and the future to hold our goals.

All four require constant attention throughout the season. Paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and how they influence your decisions and reactions will come more naturally over time (something I’m still working on). Eventually new thoughts and ideas will emerge and advance your abilities to succeed as a coach.

Finally, self-awareness comes not only from your ability to self-reflect but from hearing feedback from others. Your capacity to receive feedback without feeling a need to defend your actions will empower your players. That empowerment will allow them to speak freely and think creatively, inspiring thoughts and solutions you never considered. Just like with you, new thoughts and ideas will emerge within your players which will advance your abilities to succeed as a team.

Related: Listen to the podcast episode about Self-Awareness.

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