• Jfthe best player on the team is able to.ge !lW!WWith noncompliant and ignoring behaviOrs, $en aIreaM a m~e is being communicated that s;!}'S this j?Iayeris so j,glpOttaIlt tbaflle is entitled "to act the WilY he ieclS. Therefu~ this p1ID'er has been elevated to a position of power gre;rter than yaur l'ositjpn as coach.This ~ Qf sceQaIib often occurs if a coach Q~ under the belief system that "winnin,..,..g is the 'Only thing" and theretOre supercedes doing the rigbt thing. You may nat realize that you have inadvertently Undermined your awn. position of authority, due to the fact that a premium has been plaCed on winning. Moreover; you may be too concerned about ~ your team.'s approval and suppqrt :rather than canfront any intra., squad dissension and conflict.

However, you have unfortu!i£1.teJy found yourselfin a position ofhavifig to contend with one player'snQn-adherence ta practice routines. It would not be surprising if other players b~ copying some of the antics of this higblyvalued and gi.ft:eQ PlaYer· What needs to take place is ~t as the coach you must reassert your leadership role and set an example for what is in the best interest of the team.

One mcet of a coach's function is to teach enduring values such as demonstrating respect, helping players work on mental readiness, motivational strategies, and adhering to the practice routine, rather than ignoring a player's distracting behaviors and noncompliance. The only way tbat you're going to regain the team's respect and admiration, as well as be able to positively influence

your players, is to risht the wrong that has been , committed and bite the bullet. In other words, you

need to address the situation b letting our .

players know that a change is going to take

place. You can re-establish your position of

authority by making it very dear to all players

that these types of behaviors will no longer

be tolerated. Otherwise, consequences will

be enforced, and enforced l:onsistently;

Andrea Com. PS)!D., is in private practice at C!1ild and Family Psychologists in Plantation, Florida. She is a member of the American P cbological Association

CAE"\), Florida Psycbologkal Association (FPA), and is a member of the National Association of Sports Psychologists.