Your mindset needs to grow up
You just got to want it more, man.
Good morning! I want to talk about what a “growth mindset” is and how I make it an intentional part of how I train players.
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Neat Reads
Neat Reads is a segment where I share an article or podcast that interests me and relates to our weekly theme.
Here’s a podcast episode from the Happiness Lab that talks about how to adopt a growth mindset, what it is and why it’s important!
Here’s an article that explains the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset: Click this link.
Comparison is the thief of joy
At the risk of sounding similar to some toxic positivity gurus, I think we all should adopt a “growth mindset.”
Take a quick look at the graphic below to get an idea of what I mean.
A growth mindset is crucial for player development and your own development as a coach because without it we would shy away from challenges instead of using them as an opportunity to learn.
I do my best to learn as much as I can from people. I go into most conversations thinking that I can learn something. So, when confronted with stress, anxiety or low self-believe, I remember that there is still something to learn here.
Coach’s Corner
Coach’s Corner is a segment where I ramble about training this week and answer some questions I get from Substack or Twitter.
Ramblings
Players hate making mistakes. It’s getting better, but most players don’t take criticism well, causing coaches to change how they share their critiques.
Sharing with players what a growth mindset can do will help how they receive information.
This was one of the hardest barriers we had to work through in Malawi. Many players would face a challenge and give up. It took over a year to change the mentality of the players but this only came after they saw the staff members (myself included) show them what a growth mindset is.
Q&A
What can coaches do to get their players to Premier League standard?
In my opinion, if a player is playing in the Premier League they were always going to play in the Premier League. There is very little that coaches can do that gets players to the “next level” because the players that get to that next level have been at that level their whole lives.
Coaches can’t take a bad player and make them a pro. The best they can do is get them to play at a college level in the USA/Canada. A lot of coaches won’t admit that though.
Exercise of the Week
Here’s the session plan I used when I had to lead our U18 training group in Malawi as we prepared for our trip in South Africa. We played Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch and SuperSport youth teams.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading this week!
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See you next week!
Where to find me:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CamH___
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-herbert-football-coach/