Many kids play sports, and excel at them. All students know the rules to become a great athlete, along with their sport’s rules. But, there are some unsaid rules that coaches never mention at practice, so this blog post is about some of the “unsaid rules” in sports to help you become the best athlete you can be.
Rule #1: Always Cheer
This is a big rule, especially for kids who lack sportsmanship, or in everyday terms…have an attitude! The reason this rule is so important is because if you are a bench warmer, just got taken out, or gets subbed in for others, which is everyone at some point in their “student athletic career”, you should always be cheering. One time, one of my teammates was sitting on the bench the whole game, she wasn’t cheering, she wasn’t happy for us because we were winning, and she definitely wasn’t engaged and focused, all because she didn’t get a chance to be one of the starters. At the time, she couldn’t care less for the team, but more about herself and her own playing time, which is not what makes a good teammate. She never got a chance to play in that game, because she only cared about herself, and wasn’t cheering, ultimately gaining a reputation of being selfish and not a good teammate. There is no “I” in team, always remember this because you should be looking out for your team, being happy for them, and always cheering them on, and more importantly, not only care about yourself. That is the start of a good teammate.
Rule #2: Be a Leader
This is always important and can always apply to you, even if your position isn’t the “leader”. You should always be that one player who high fives our teammates when they make a mistake, or be the one to say “we got next” or “you got this” or “we're still in it, focus up”. You also want to be the one that coaches can rely on in tight situations, the one player who can rally up the team and bring you to victory. A leader should also know how to win gracefully, but more importantly, lose gracefully, because other teammates will follow your lead, and also start to become either: okay with losing and winning, or become salty with losing and winning. So, always make sure that you are setting a good example for your teammates and be the athlete that your coach can rely on.
Rule #3: Be a Hardworker/Coachable
This is the biggest rule and possibly could have been number one. You should always be hard working, and what that means is to constantly hustle to the ball, run, never walk, be coachable, work off hours, not just practice, even when you are exhausted. These are just some of the many things hard work can mean. One thing coaches love are questions. Always ask questions, now don’t make them be silly questions, just to ask a question, but if you really don’t get something or you are having trouble with something, ask! This shows the coaches that you are paying attention to what they have to say and you are engaged and focused and are there to learn. Coaches really appreciate athletes who are hard working, coachable, and who ask questions.
Rule #4: Be Coachable
Another big thing that coincides with hard work is being coachable. You should always be coachable and try to apply what the coaches are telling you. This is why they are coaches. Their goal is to make you better, so sometimes that comes with harsh constructive criticism, but it is not meant to be taken personally, but rather a way to point out your deficiencies and to make you a better player. This, too, shows the coaches that you are paying attention and that you are working hard by attempting to apply what they are telling you.
Rule #5: Always work off hours
Practice is practice, but where you're going to get even better is off the court or field. You should treat your practice like it is a real game, and treat you working out, or doing extra training as your practice. One of my coaches always told us “It’s not the practice that counts, but it’s what you do off the court that counts.” This means that coaches like when you take practice seriously, but love it when you do stuff besides practice. And, doing off court stuff is so easy, you can do it home, at a gym, or even with your teammates. During those times, you can go work out, practice your sport, go for a run, ect. Always try to find time for your sport, even 15-30 minutes everyday can help you become a better player.
These five rules are super big in my sport, volleyball, as they are in every other sport. I hope this helps all the young athletes who want to be amazing players in their sports. Just remember, along with these rules, be yourself, if you try to change who you are, you're not going to do well. So stay true to yourself and have fun with your sport. If your too serious coaches aren't going to think that you work well with others and won’t put you on their team. So, good luck and have fun, and be sure to follow these five unsaid rules of being a good student athlete.