Fostering an Opportunity for Self-Reflection, Growth

This article is by Brendan Dwyer, PhD. Mr. Dwyer is the Assistant Director for Student Services and Outreach for the Center for Sport Leadership a Virginia Commonwealth University. Contact bdwyer@vcu.edu.

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As part of human nature, we shy away from what we do poorly and lean toward what we do well. It is simply easier to fall back to old habits as opposed to risking failure through actions with which we are not accustomed.  As a result, our personal growth and development often stalls as we continually limit any and all opportunities to improve weaknesses and stretch our personal boundaries.
When it comes to playing a sport, it is no different. I can’t tell you how many times I have witnessed athletes taking the easy way out in practice as opposed to working on their weaknesses to build an overall skill set (e.g., opting to only use their dominant hand, planting routinely with the same foot, or running around a block not through it).

From a big-picture point of view, it is relatively straightforward. Youth sport and, more importantly, youth development should include opportunities to improve individual and team weaknesses through a positive and safe environment. If not during these formative years and at these impressionable times, when?
Certainly as adults, we are often more guarded and less likely to take un-calculated risks. Thus, we are not always the best role models for attacking our own weaknesses. The following exercise is just a concerted effort to improve flaws in an attempt to grow individually and collectively.

Overall Approach
Ultimately, the premise is to create an atmosphere needed to encourage development. One strategy I have used is something called “Weakness Wednesdays.” Before each Wednesday practice, my youth hockey players (13-15 year olds) would write down one individual fundamental weakness and one perceived team (tactical) weakness. Based on their suggestions, I would create a few drills where the fundamental weaknesses could be exploited, and devoted the majority of the team section of practice to the most agreed-upon team weakness. But, it didn’t end there.

The most important aspect of the exercise is the environment and the attitudes of the players (and coaches) as they work the weaknesses together to get better. The cliché is “practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect,” and while I agree with that philosophy 90% of the time, Weakness Wednesday was the 10% where it was OK for my players to fail. In fact, it was encouraged.
For instance, during the fundamental drills, I would urge the players use their off-hand or to start and stop facing the both directions. In general, I would instruct the players to try new things and don’t worry about the consequences. Who cares if you fall down, miss a shot, or lose the puck? The purpose is to grow and get better.

During the team weakness portion of practice, the same attitude and atmosphere were present with a twist. The players had a voice. This wasn’t an opportunity for me to correct the perceived weakness; it was an opportunity for us to solve the problem. This often took time and more than a few confusing moments, but you would be surprised how perceptive the athletes are (regardless of age). They have a different perspective, perhaps due to being in the action as opposed to watching it. Regardless, most of the time, the players had significant input in our strategy. Now, I had final say, but it was important to include them in the process.

Success Keys
Here are few keys to successfully implementing this exercise.

1. First, it is all about approach. Both the coach and the players have to be honest and humble about both their strengths and weaknesses. You are not exempt. In fact, to get the players to buy in, you will have to point out a personal weakness and how you want to go about fixing it. You also need to have a sense of humor about your issue and most importantly a positive attitude for solving it. I can’t state it enough. The key is the atmosphere and environment. The players need to feel it is OK to take risks. Also, they have to want to get better.
2. This leads to the second point, you have to get the players to buy into long-term growth. Fixing an individual weakness does not occur in one, two, or even an entire season’s worth of practices. Thus, you have to convince them of the importance two, five, and ten years down the road.
3. Third, we are creatures of habit. If you want to do implement this plan, it can’t be done once or twice during the year. It needs to be a routine. In order for the players to take chances, be risky, and open themselves up for failure, they need to be reassured that this pattern of behavior is a widely accepted practice. In other words, it takes a few Weakness Wednesday’s for the players to open up, and it takes even more for them to flourish. Think about it. Where else in their lives do they have the opportunity to openly fail like this? It doesn’t happen overnight.
4. Fourth, monitor their individual weaknesses. This is why I had them write it down. Be sure they are not just identifying a weakness, but actually improving in the area before they move on to another issue. As they grow in confidence in the weakness area, encourage them to use the skill in other practices and even games. This often requires some serious attention to detail by the coach, but trust me, when they score a goal on their backhand or successfully transition from skating backward to forward, they will let you know.
5. Fifth, when you have some one-on-one time with an athlete, ask them when they are applying this technique outside of the sport. You will probably get some blank faces at first, but inquire about areas in school or with friends that bother them. Challenge them to attack their weaknesses head-on as opposed to avoiding them. This is the fundamental life lesson that needs to be addressed. It should not remain centric to the sport.
6. Lastly, coaches are not immune to self-reflection and growth. Therefore, not only should you lead by example during practice by addressing a perceived coaching weakness, you need to fully embrace the process and tackle your weaknesses directly. That is, whether logging on to an Internet site, reading an article, watching a video, or seeking the advice from a mentor, you need to grow as well. This is not a player-only activity. Nobody is perfect and the sooner you realize this and deal with issues of this process, the easier it will be for you to convince your players of this activity’s worthiness. 

In conclusion, as educators, coaches and parents, we see sport participation as a means to developing life skills and building character in children. However, sport by itself does not develop nor does it build. It just provides the opportunity to display character and a vehicle for potential development. It is through the inter-team interaction of players and the thoughtful and meaningful guidance of coaches, parents, and educators that makes a sporting experience beneficial.

Thus, in addition to teaching (1) the tactical components and (2) the fundamental skills of the sport, it requires a concerted effort to teach (3) life lessons such as self-reflection, goal setting, and overcoming adversity through sport for the activity to extend beyond the chalk lines. The implementation of Weakness Wednesdays simply provides the opportunity to accomplish all three at the same time. Best of luck!