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Motivational Speaker, Coach, and Trainer, Coach Jim Johnson

Why do some teams always seem to win close games?

How does your team do in crunch time?

With all the chaos going on in the NFL, it got me thinking about what actually decides the outcome of a game.  Oftentimes, it comes down to a missed field goal, a hail mary, or a game-winning drive.  But what about everything else?  The little things.  Is your team set up to win close games?  The #CJJblog this week gives you some tips on how you can make sure your team is ready for crunch time.

  • Mental.  Do you teach your team about the mental side of the game?  Are they utilizing mental imagery?  Have they played out being successful during crunch time situations in their head?
  • Practice.  Do you practice end of game scenarios?  Practice is a great time to turn up the heat.  Make drills harder and put them in situations tougher than the actual game.
  • Pressure situations.  It’s impossible to cover all possibilities, but your team should be well-versed with how to handle pressure situations.  You should be rehearsing when to call a timeout, what plays to run, how to manage the offense, etc.
  • Review film.  How often do you watch film with your team?  Make sure to discuss the areas of improvement as well as the good things that were accomplished.
  • Competition.  During drills at practice, you should be charting everything.  Make every action into a competition with rewards and consequences.
  • Players step up.  Having a scrimmage during practice?  Great.  Take a step back and officiate while the players coach themselves, to see how they handle game management.  Make sure to give and receive feedback afterwards as well.
  • Timeouts.  I’m here to tell you that not many coaches practice timeouts (where to sit, who speaks, etc.), but this will make you much more efficient during crunch time.
  • Composure.  As the coach, you must always keep your composure.  The players will respond with calmness and (hopefully) success.
  • Questions.  Constantly pick their brain and catch them off-guard with questions and pop quizzes to gauge their level of understanding.  Get them to think on their feet.
  • Rules.  Do your players know the rules of the game?  As their coach, you should be peppering them with little known facts and rules in case they come up during the game.

Did You Know?  Coach Jim Johnson assisted at a local junior achievement conference here in Rochester, NY this week.

Life Tip #13:  Meditate or sit quietly for at least 15 minutes per day

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