3 Ways to Build Chemistry on Your Team
3 Ways to Build Chemistry on Your Team
It's no secret that softball is a sport that actively requires great team chemistry and elite culture to win games. This is true at all levels of our game from travel ball, all the way up to the Olympics and where I currently am at AUX in San Diego. For those of you that are not familiar with the Athletes Unlimited AUX format, here is a brief synopsis of what we are dealing with here:
We switch teams after 3 days of games together. We get ONE team practice before we play a 4-game series. There are no coaches (only captains, whoever is highest on the leaderboard). If you want more specifics about the scoring system, review it here. So needless to say, for us to build a team culture in literally one day, there are some things we do to expedite the process. These 3 things you can implement on your teams TODAY to experience a better team chemistry and a better experience overall (plus more wins).
1. Vulnerability: We have a team meeting/icebreaker question before every practice and game. These questions that everyone has to answer can be either deep or silly, but it's amazing to hear people's answers. Even the women I have played with for YEARS I learn something about them in these icebreaker moments. Example questions: Who is your biggest influence in your life? What is the most difficult thing you have overcome? What would you be doing if you weren't playing softball? Give open and honest answers. Be real and be open. When that happens, TRUST is built and a deeper connection follows. This leads to better on field communication and better results.
2. Humility: The best advice I ever received was from Coach Murphy my freshman year at Alabama. He said to open our very first meeting of the year, "The sooner you figure out it's not all about you, the better off you are going to be." The best teams are the most selfless teams. The best captains at AUX are the servant leaders. The ones that humble themselves and put their teammates success in front of their own. You have never won a game single handedly. EVER. And you never will. You need each other. No role is bigger than the next and everyone has a part to play. The best part about AUX is that to climb the leaderboard, win points matter the most, not necessarily how well you did as an individual. You still need to be on winning teams. Having humility and embedding that into your culture is a sure fire way to find success. Examples of how to bring humility into your team: have an affirmation circle where everyone says something they love about the person to the right of them until everyone is affirmed and appreciated, or if you are a leader or captain make sure you are the person picking up balls, hyping people up, and showing that you aren't perfect by being open and vulnerable. Humility is truly a lost art in this culture. Be that lost art.
3. Accountability: It is very difficult to have great chemistry without accountability to the standards of the unit. This word gets thrown around a lot, but all it means is responsibility or duty. I love the definition of duty because I have a duty to my team to: get reps, ensure I am in the best possible position to play, recover well, prepare well, and be a role model to younger women. That's the standard as a pro athlete. All teammates have this duty. When someone isn't performing their duty, holding them responsible and accountable is important. How does this happen? By yelling at people and talking about them behind their back? No. Accountability comes through conversations. Listening, giving genuine advice, and ultimately having both vulnerability and humility.
All three of these overlap and build off of each other. That is what makes team chemistry. It's a constant balance of these three things. Incorporate them and grow in them.
Have the best week! Continue watching AUX on ESPN Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!
--Halo
