respect

Question
last year i was the defensive backs coach for a local bantam team (14-15) but the team got folded because all the schools are implementing junior varsity teams.  my old head coach got the varsity defensive coordinator job and brought me a long.  i know i have the skills to do the job but im only 20 years old and im a little worried that the high school players wont give me the respect that they would give an older coach.  how do i make sure that they respect me and listen to what i say without being to much of a hard ass?

Answer
Hello Chris

That's a good question.  My take on it from a mental game aspect is this.

If you feel you deserve respect than you are more likely to get it.  

My question for YOU is this: do you have something to offer these players?  That's what you have to focus on.  It's like when I work with an athlete who earns a million plus dollars a year.  If I focused on that it would probably be intimidating.  But what I focus on is that I have the skills to help ANY athlete improve under pressure, and if you can perform, than factors like age, length of experience and $$ doesn't matter in the real world.  

You focus on what you have to offer, and if some of the players won't listen, they can sit on the bench and watch the players who DID listen play the game.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

David

David Kenward, The Mental Coach
Sacramento, California
http://www.thementalcoach.com
Win the Mental Game: Perform better under pressure in any sport
Private sessions / Group seminars