How to Set a Positive Vibe and Tone on Your Team

Whether your season just ended or you’re preparing for spring kickoff, the end of the year is an ideal time for coaches to pause and reflect on what’s gone well, what hasn’t, and what you can change in the future.

While it might be tempting to focus on the number of wins or losses, it’s important to consider the bigger story behind those numbers: how effectively your team supports each other and works together. Whether you coach a team sport like lacrosse or a sport where athletes train together but often compete as individuals, like track and field, promoting team bonding can have lasting effects. Stronger teamwork and camaraderie between athletes can lead to better performance and overall athlete well-being in sport and beyond.

Read on for three strategies to help you set a positive tone on your team and promote team bonding from day one. 

Strategy 1: Understand Your Team’s Climate

The first step is to pause and reflect. What’s going well on your team? Where do you see issues or room for improvement? Thoughtfully and honestly answering questions about your coaching style, communication, and athlete interactions can help you better understand specific actions you can take to strengthen or improve your team’s well-being

Use our Understanding Team Climate tool to help guide you as you reflect on how your athletes are behaving towards each other, how your coaching style might be positively or negatively impacting them, and more.

Read the full article at U.S. Center for SafeSport >