Why High Standards For Players Matter

Hold players to an incredibly high standard and you'll see remarkable results.  

I'm not talking about the common "we're gonna have high standards" chat at the beginning of a season or after a defeat. I'm talking about setting an incredibly high standard from day one with your players and being absolutely relentless about maintaining those standards.

Standard in training drops below what you expect? Fix it, immediately. Stop the training session, address it with the team and agree on what you are going to do to maintain the high standard for the rest of the session.

Standards and behavior of some individuals drops below expectations during a game? Sub them out and talk to them about expectations for high standards of behavior, attitude and effort.

Be relentless about standards.

The team might begin a training session at a high standard and then some players decide to mess around. Catch it within seconds if possible, if not then minutes. Don't allow it to drag on. If you are relentless about holding your players to an incredibly high standard, over time they will adapt and adjust.

Most players will never have experienced what it is like to be held to strict high standards by a relentless coach. Deep down, all players want to be held to a high standard but most simply don't know what it feels like to be in that type of environment.

Be the coach who holds players to an incredibly high standard and they will love you for it.