How to Create Buy In & Improve IQ

We have all heard the phrases “Johnny’s IQ is low” or “our team IQ is not conducive to winning.” As the coach, what are you doing to give your players the tools necessary to increase understanding and develop into high IQ players?

I read this excerpt from a blog post by Sefu Bernard, who by the way, is a phenomenal mind and posts gold on a daily basis. Here, Sefu talks about the advantages of allowing players to develop a practice.

“One way to keep your players involved and committed, while also assessing their understanding, is to let them plan a practice from time to time. Former Arizona women’s tennis coach, Becky Bell, would assign one or two of her players the task of planning a practice. Initially you might be a little hesitant, but you might be surprised at what they come up with.

Afterwards, debrief the session to get an understanding why they included certain elements. That debrief is a great point to educate them on what other elements can be included and how come they’re important.

You want buy in? You’ll get it this way. It’ll be an intensely fun practice for them and I think you’ll find them working hard because they designed the practice. This is also a great way to assess leadership (i.e. who leads, how do they lead, who follows, etc.) It also puts others who may not typically have a voice, in a position where they must lead.”

Fantastic points by Sefu, and a great way to create trust and buy in from your team.

Likewise, utilizing the film room will aid your players understanding in a certain rotation, read or skill. Visual stimulation is a great teaching tool. It allows the players to pick up on ideas from your perspective, and furthermore, allow you to pick up on things you did not notice on the fly. Most coaches spend their film room time as a time for scouting opponents, which is acceptable, but think about how much you can gain and your players will grow from spending that time focusing on themselves, becoming the best versions of their selves.