Varsity Team Summary

Coach P focused on individual team member physical strength as the greatest factor in making team selections at the beginning of the training season. One of the things that he should have done differently was to devise a method to observe the psychological attributes of the team, to determine which team members were likely to work well together. As a coach he should have attacked the new problems he observed without delay. He could have debriefed the Varsity team after each loss, while taking input from each team member, for example the meeting that was held closer to the national championships should have been earlier in the season, and scheduled periodically. Coach P should have found the most appropriate means to motivate the Varsity team after the first couple of losses. One of the two following methods of motivation could have been used. The first, the Goal-Setting Method, would have told the team exactly what needed to be accomplished in order to improve their
Goal setting would have been a good way to ensure the Varsity team understood and grasped the full understanding of a project, and/or the job ahead of them. This approach is appropriate since most athletes tend to be goal oriented individuals. This process works well in a competitive environment, where specific targets have to be met. A second and complimentary method could have been the Self-Efficacy Method. Coach P could have allowed the Varsity team to find out their capabilities in their own positions by granting them some independence within training (i.e. running them against time instead of the JV team). This method creates a sense of commitment and dependability amongst team members, and ultimately a sense of confidence. Both of the above methods complement each other and could have been used