Ask the Experts

How do I get my players to accept their roles on the team?

I am an AAU youth basketball coach and over the last few seasons have found it very difficult to get my players to accept their different roles. They all want to be stars. What can I do to get my players to appreciate the different roles that make up a good team and how can I get them to accept their roles?

Slogans such as “there is no I in team” or “we are only as strong as our weakest link” are common in sports. In fact, we hear sports announcers constantly talk about “teamwork” or how key players do the little things “like passing off” or “making assists” that allow their teams to beat others with seemingly superior talent.

The announcer’s statements are accurate. For athletic teams to excel, they must play as an unselfish unit that puts their team’s interests before their own. And, this does not happen by chance. Great coaches plant the seeds for team development early in the season, work on it all season long and then reap the benefits at tournament time.

So how do these great coaches get their players to understand and accept their roles and by doing so function as a cohesive unit? First, they don’t wait to post-season play to start talking about roles and responsibilities. In contrast, during the early season they assess their team’s talent to make sure they have a good feel for whom they will be working with. They are trying to identify who can play what roles and how the team as a whole will come together from the sum of the parts.

Second, they identify particular players to play specific roles on the team. For example, who are the likely starters, who will be off the bench, who might be a three point shooting specialist, a defensive specialist, who might be a practice player, etc. Then they meet with their players to specifically discuss what role they will play on the team. That way, the players know what is expected of them. The coach can also get an idea of whether a player is comfortable with and likely to accept the identified role.

Completing the second step of this process, however, does not necessarily mean each player will accept his or her role. If a youngster envisions him or her self as a shooting guard he may disagree with the coach and shoot first and look for the open man second instead of looking for the open man first. In such cases, the coach must persuade the athlete why he or she is needed in the desired role. Moreover, if the athlete does not follow through on his or her role the coach reduces playing time.

Once roles are defined and accepted coaches must continually recognize players who fulfill their roles. This is especially important when key roles are not highly visible. For instance, when interviewed by the local paper about the team’s success a coach might not only mention her player that scored 21 points but other “unsung” heroines who did the little things that made the team successful such as blocking out under the boards, making unselfish assists, and reserves who did a great job simulating the competition in practice during the week. They also continue to talk about the importance of executing one’s role so the players are always aware of the importance of this element of the game.

Along with reinforcing the acceptance and execution of critical roles, great coaches work with their teams to appreciate the contributions all members make to the total group success. For example, from time to time they may have players practice in different positions so that they get an appreciation of what another player must do for the team to succeed. Similarly, they might ask team members to describe what they most appreciate about another player who fulfills an important or critical role. Lastly, these coaches don’t accept star players putting down lesser skilled members of the team. In short, great coaches make sure everyone understands and appreciates every else’s role.

As you can see from the above, teamwork in the form of players knowing and accepting their roles does not occur by chance or by simply posting a teamwork cliché on the bulletin board. It is coached. You must define, constantly talk about it, work with the players to accept it, and reward the correct execution of it.

Daniel Gould, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports

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