Discipline

What is discipline?

The concept of exerting a lot of effort and perseverance to develop a skill or accomplish a task.

It takes hard work and determination to accomplish a task, and discipline to stick to it. Persistence is vital – the harder you work the better you’ll develop your skills. Don’t let players give up on themselves, or each other. Encourage them to learn from their mistakes and get right back up to try again. Encourage a routine – they’ll be less likely to falter if they have a routine to stick to.

Nothing is more fulfilling for a young athlete than to finally accomplish what they have set their mind to after a great deal of hard work. What makes it that much better is when someone recognizes what they have accomplished and praise them for their effort. Tell them how much you appreciate them for coming out to every practice and how much it will pay off for them in the future. When other kids witness the benefits of hard work and discipline, they too will start trying harder!

Coach

Show video clips to your team featuring successful sports teams. They do not all have to be from one sport and they do not all have to feature winning, championship teams. Show a variety to demonstrate where hard work can take you; but that winning isn’t everything.

Player

Think of two situations: one where you worked hard and were dedicated and one where you were not. Write a one-page response on the key differences of each and which situation worked out better. Why did you not try your best? Identifying the reasoning’s.