According to Rick Pitino there are eight traits that corrupt team chemistry. Team chemistry is a touchy thing that can be manipulated easily due to many different types of internal or external feelings. Below are Coach Pitino's eight.1. Jealousy...we must get across that for any of us to succeed, we must all succeed. We must instill the idea that it is enjoyable to watch others succeed. Seeing someone else's name in the paper consistently or their picture, it important to get across to the other players they are vital as well. It really helps when your best players give credit consistently to their teammates.
2. Cynicism...usually occurs when things are going badly. They feel they are not part of the solution, they will question the plan, doubt the leader and believe that the end result won't be positive so why bother? It can creep into a team also by outside influences such as parents, fans, message boards.
3. Inflated ego...it occurs when an individual believes that the group cannot function without them, they must remember that their value only matters within the framework of the group.
4. Inflexible personality...this occurs with the person who is not willing to listen and is a know it all. They believe they know more than the coaches and usually comes from some outside influence.
5. Discipline deficiency...lack of discipline leads to bad habits which destroys individual improvement and team progression.
6. Lack of Passion...people lacking passion are not looking to always improve....we don't deal with I don't know people.
7. Excuse making...when something goes wrong it is never their fault. It is the teacher's fault for their grades, it is the referee's fault for the bad call, it is their teammate's fault for not getting them the ball.
8. Front Running...it's easy to be positive and upbeat when everything is going well, but how do you respond in times of despair? They cannot generate passion in times of adversity which brings the team down.
So many of the above things are related and can grow. Unfortunately, even under the best circumstances outside influences can affect your players. As a coach, we must work consistently on these eight items and make sure team chemistry is affected minimally.
