Learn how to create a team scorecard so your players can stay focused and push the pace, shift in and shift out, for the whole game.
As a coach you want your team to give their best effort for the full game.
You want them to have confidence with the puck and play in attack mode offensively.
But you also want them to be committed to the details defensively – playing with grit and tenacity.
You have probably seen glimpses of it – for a period or two – which makes it that much more frustrating when they don’t play the way you know they can.
Unfortunately, coaches often resort to these ineffective strategies to get their team to play a full 60:
- Dictating the Desired Outcomes.
Telling your players to toughen up, be confident, work hard, and stay focused does not give them the strategies to achieve those outcomes. It is not a ‘how to.’ Likewise it doesn’t help to say stop doubting yourself, forget about, and don’t be soft. This is not effective coaching and guidance. - Over Indexing on Threats.
For example, if you don’t get it deep you sit. It is important to strategically manage playing time at different levels. And it can help shape behaviour, but if it is your primary strategy it will likely instill a fear mindset in your athletes and have the opposite effect then you intended. - Label & Let Go.
The worst strategy is not a strategy at all really. It’s when a coach doesn’t know what to do or say, so they just label players as soft or lack confidence. They may hope the players can figure it out but they are pretty much giving up on the player.
Instead, here are 5 steps to create your team scorecard so that your players can stay focused and push the pace, shift in and shift out, for the whole game.
STEP 1 – Identify the Top Priority
It is easy to get bogged down in all the different things you want your team to focus on and execute. The X’s & O’s matter and are core part of coaching and helping the players develop. But if the players aren’t in the right mental state, then it doesn’t matter what your forecheck or breakout is.
So take the time with your team to zoom out and look at the big picture. Answer these two questions:
1) How do we want to show up at the rink each day?
2) Which of these is the #1 priority?
The answer should be something that is not too vague nor too minute. And it should be the thing that will have the biggest impact on your team’s performance.
Common examples include:
The goal is to create a name that best resembles the priority. The name should resonate with the team and create a starting spot to work from.
Step 2 – Create the Contrast
This is about giving examples of what the top priority is and what it is not. Take the time with your team to list off what the top priority looks like on the ice. Then put a name to the opposite and list the examples of what that looks like on the ice.
If you can use video in this process it will help with clarity.
Note that again this is not just dictated by you and the coaching staff but also in having the players be able to define the priority and what it is not.
Step 3 – Retrospectively Assess it
Now that this is clarity and a contrast in how you want your team to show up versus not. This step is about looking back at the last few games and assessing the percentage.
For example, a team might be 60% in attack mode offensively versus 40% tentative.
This again is done with the players and is meant to create a baseline.
There will be some variance in opinions but the goal is to get to a consensus. If there are some significant differences then that is a good discussion point to hash out so everyone can get on the same page.
It’s important to look at this process non-judgmentally. Which means instead of looking at a rating of 40% as ‘Bad,’ let’s just call it where we are. It might be relatively low, it certainly might not be where we want to be, but it is where we are.
Bringing negative judgements and emotions into the discussion will likely add unneeded fear and it will less likely be seen as a learning opportunity.
The goal here is to just OWN where we are, so we can now move forward.
Step 4 – Commit to a Target
Operate under the premise that no one wants that number low.
Generally players don’t show up and think: “I want to be inconsistent today. I don’t want to play with confidence, grit, or in attack mode.”
What they struggle with is a lack of alignment between their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Think of this like being on a dock. Person A just runs in jumps in the water. But person B wants to jump in, but is worried about the water being cold – so they hesitate, they put their toe, maybe jump in, but get right back out – lack of alignment in thoughts, feelings, actions. (watch a video on this – ‘Jump’ into the Zone).
This process of creating the team scorecard is one of the best ways to help athletes get the alignment and jump in the water. Here is how to summarize it:
- Increase Awareness
Steps 1 to 3 make a clear contrast in how they are currently showing up - Make a Committed Choice
Step 4 is about setting a clear intention for moving forward – it highlights the choice to show up and commit to being person B that jumps in the water aka plays in attack mode - Hold Oneself Accountable
Step 5 prevents the awareness from slipping, encourages a growth mindset, and ensures they keep committing to showing up as person B
So this is a crucial step in making it clear that it’s a choice to make the ‘jump’ and increase the priority they are working on.
Agreeing on a reasonable range of percentages for the upcoming games helps manage expectations and gives further clarity in the intention.
For example, if your team has been about 60% attack mode, the expectations for the next three games could be to raise that percentage to 80%, 90%, and 95% respectively.
The end goal is to be in the 95% plus range. This sets a high standard about doing their best without getting hung-up on perfection – which is one of the reasons many athletes get caught up in their own head.
Step 5 – Review, Review, Review
Now that all the main work has been done, step 5 is the easiest. But if you don’t review, review, review the impact of the first four steps will be significantly less likely to be long lasting.
Here are the keys to bridging the commitment to results:
- Remind or ask them to repeat the of the Top Priority before practices & games
- Reflect after every period the percentage (have the players give the number)
- Reflect within practices when relevant (again have the players give the number)
- Keep a growth mindset about it – progress won’t be directly linear, when the number drops, take it as a learning opportunity
- Adjustments – overtime the definitions or top priorities will change – so be adaptable and flow with the change needs and priorities of the team as the season evolves
BONUS 1 – Coping Planning
One bonus strategy is to have a proactive plan to cope with distractions.
Helping your players anticipate what might throw them off, prepares them to handle those distractions, stressors, or challenges more effectively.
If the team scorecard is like a road map and GPS system guiding the team to go from point A to point B, then coping planning is looking ahead at what obstacles might derail the team.
Here are three common distractions and how you can help your players plan to cope:
- Success
Instead of getting complacent, caught up in their own success, entitled, or results focused, remind them to stay centred, own their success, stay connected to the process, and keep pushing to grow. - Adversity
Challenges, setbacks, and adversity and inevitable. Whether it is goals against, little mistakes, or other external factors, preparing your players’ mind on how they will respond if these situations arise drastically increases the likelihood they respond effectively. - Pressure
Many athletes can struggle to effectively cope with pressure. You can help by proactively addressing the ‘elephant’ in the room, giving them perspective, and encouraging them to rise above all the noise and expectations.
BONUS 2 – Personalized Mental Toolbox
The team scorecard strategy is at the team level and can be very effective. But the mental game is always unique to each individual. So I don’t want you to think that the above strategy is a blank solution to all mental game problems.
Helping athletes a personalized mental toolbox is always the most comprehensive and effective approach. Here is a summary of the fundamental tools we use with athletes in 1-on-1 or team programs:
- Unique Alter Ego
If a player’s top priority is to be more in attack mode, then they might create a persona around being Wolverine from X-Men or any other persona that clicks for them and relates to consistently attacking their opponents. - 10 Second Reset Routine
This is one of the most powerful tools – helps activate the alter ego and clear their mind. Deep breathing is also part of this to help the athlete get centred. An example of this might be a goalie in the NHL squirting water in the air and watching it fall. - Personal Scorecard
It’s pretty much what we just did, but on an individualized level. We have a full video explaining how athlete’s can create their personal scorecard on our YouTube page. - Imagery Script
This is about having each player personalize their mental preparation and intentions on both how they want to play (their process) and coping planning. We have free generic recordings your players can check out here:
In summary, create your team scorecard to help your team play a full 60. Follow these 5 steps:
- Identify the Top Priority
- Create a Contrast
- Retrospectively Assess
- Commit to a Target
- Review, Review, Review
Then use coping planning to prepare for any distractions and encourage players to start creating their own personalized mental toolbox to maximize the results.
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If you are interested in more content like this or want to learn more about our Mental Performance Coaching Services visit www.CEPMindset.com.
