Is your ego holding you back?
PitchVision elite coach Gary Palmer has coached a lot of players at different stages of their career and he has noticed how ego can get in a player's way.
In this exclusive video, Gary tells us why it's important to drop the ego if you want to be the best player you can be.
Click here to view the video now.
"One of the key things about working with these young lads is that, because they respect our point of view, because we have played at a high level or we've got the coaching qualifications or we are older, when you tell them to do something they back what we are saying. They just get on and do it and the progress really quickly.
"That is nice and simple and a fast way of getting better.
"What can happen with players, when they get into the big time playing county or international cricket, is suddenly they start to think 'I've got a better way of doing things'. Or they keep questioning what you are telling them all the time and they are not taking things on board as simply and as quickly as they could. That is when the process of becoming a better player and being successful and consistent starts to break down.
"It's great if you are a player who has got a coach working with you that is crystal clear on what he wants you to do. He knows what he is doing. It works every time.
"You tell me what to do. I do it. I get better. I get runs. Simple. And if I was a player I would like a coach to come up to me and say 'Gary, do this to your technique, this for the mental side, this should be your tactics, these are your goals.' Crystal clear, nice and easy, do it and move on.
"But the minute players start to get egos, it's very difficult to coach them and the only person that loses out long term is the player."
If you would like coaching from Gary Palmer, CCM Academy is enrolling for 2010-11 now. Click here for details.
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Comments
In my opinion, it's too easy to say that a player is difficult to coach. It just means that the coach is the wrong person in the right place and that he should decide to either drop the player if he continues to not progress or that the coach should make way for another coach.
In the end it's all about getting the best out of a player and if one coach can't accomplish that job, he too should put his ego aside and make way for another coach.
Surely a coach doesn't have all the answers to all the problems? Players will come up with new solutions tactically, mentally and technically that Gary Palmer may not have thought of.
I'm sure Palmer has a fantastic understanding of batting but to say that a player just needs to listen to a coach, rather than coming up with what is best for them, is when the coaches ego is holding the player back?
I agree with you RH. If you don't ask questions, how are you going to learn?
Got to add that a everybody can always learn something new even from the least likely places.. and you cant teach someone thats doesn wanna learn
I agree with Gary, I see it all the time, a player gets into a district side and then ignores the club coaches that helped him get there by sending him to the trials in the first place. No coach wants to hold a player back from getting better but a player that stops listening to all advise because he thinks he's made it opens himself to failure.
Intereting points. I don't think it's a matter of telling vs. asking, because if a player thinks he knows it all, or knows better, then he won't listen whatever style you use. Both coaches and players need to put ego aside as much as possible. It's all about a trusting relationship.
@Sean: what's wrong with failure?
@Erik,
I can think of a number of things wrong with failure. Failure is a hrash word, I think you may have meant mistakes instead of failure.
Correction: harsh
The wording is correct, failure in this context does not mean he will be rubbish. Failure just means a failure of progressing or learning from mistakes, it takes an outside influence sometimes to see what you as a player are doing and to help guide you to a better technique. Ego is a block to getting help out of a slump or can help you avoid it.
Let me start by saying that I absolutely agree with you in the your observation of failure to progress.
My point however is, when a player has an ego and won't listen to a coach, who is to say that the fault lies with the player? It is too easy and ignorant to (as a coach) say it the player who has an ego. Are you (as a coach) not held back by your ego and therby blocking a player's progression?
As coaches we tend to not look critically at ourselves and ask ourselves the question: is my ego holding YOU back?
David, what's your take on this discussion?
The key is trust. If players and coaches trust each other then there is progress.