Being An Outstanding Team Player

Hello again everyone and hope you're having a wonderful season. Today's post is about building team cohesiveness. There are too many times that I've watched very talented teams with talented individuals fall short because they weren't supporting each other well on and off the ice.

Being part of a team, whether it's hockey or elsewhere in life, can be challenging but knowing what is being expected from you by your teammates can help keep you moving in the right direction. Scouting Solutions teamed up with Andrews Hockey Growth Programs to provide a great resource for players and coaches to learn about all aspects of personal development. The Andrews philosophy is driven by "the understanding that successful development as a hockey player is the product of complete personal growth" and the Interactive Hockey Trainer is a great resource to know how to reach your peak performance.

After having asked permission they've been kind enough to include the following article from their Interactive Hockey Trainer to give some tips in how to become an Outstanding Team Player.:

10 Things I Want in a Teammate,
10 Things a Teammate Wants in Me

When players join a team, they often get instructions from a coach about what is expected of them, but, players rarely get a similar set of instructions from their teammates. However, learning what is expected from teammates can be a fairly simple process. All players need to do is list what they want from their teammates, and then work to give those things first.

Here is a common wish list for teammates:

1. Talks to me - Someone who is in a good mood and goes out of the way to say hello and talk to me.
2. Helps me - Someone who practices and learns about the game and then helps me learn too.
3. Gives me a chance - Someone who shares the play with me by passing.
4. Encourages me - Someone who always tells me to keep trying when something I do isn't working out.
5. Congratulates me - Someone who is the first person to congratulate me when I do something right.
6. Sticks up for me - Someone who I can count on when I'm challenged by someone on the other team.
7. Shows confidence - Someone who is positive about our abilities to win contests.
8. Never quits - Someone who always plays hard no matter the score.
9. Never pouts - Someone who is always upbeat even if something doesn't go the right way.
10. Never boasts - Someone who thanks other players for their help after scoring a goal.

Being a good teammate takes work and thought. Players who make the effort will see the reward long past their time on the team.

Thanks again Andrews Hockey (www.hockeygrowth.com) and Scouting Solutions (www.scoutingsolutions.com) for providing some great insight into being a solid team player!