The Power Of Positive

why positive is powerful

A positive approach gets the most from youth and high school athletes, which is what coaches, parents and the athletes themselves want. Staying positive also helps youth get the most out of sports.

Encouraging athletes with positive reinforcement helps them hear and heed the necessary corrections. With that winning combination of truthful, specific praise and constructive criticism, athletic performance improves and so do the chances that kids stick with sports longer and learn all the valuable life lessons inherently available through organized competition.

Academic research and real-world scoreboard results from millions of coaches, parents and athletes that PCA has trained and educated prove what the pro and college coaches on PCA’s National Advisory Board already know: Positive is powerful.

The difference a coach can make in a youth's life is enormous, and PCA is showing high school and youth coaches how to teach life lessons while preparing their team to win on the scoreboard.

Doc Rivers

Head Coach, Philadelphia 76ers and PCA National Advisory Board Member

The core Concepts

ELM TREE OF MASTERY

Focusing on what you can control is the key to performance and success. Great coaches teach this! And a tremendous body of research backs this up! The scoreboard is an important part of youth and high school sports…but still just a part. Winning is neither everything nor the only thing.

Focusing on what you can control is the key to performance and success. Great coaches teach this! And a tremendous body of research backs this up! The scoreboard is an important part of youth and high school sports…but still just a part. Winning is neither everything nor the only thing. While youth learn how to compete, a necessary lesson now and throughout their lives, they also should take a mastery approach to sports. That means focusing on what they can control: their Effort, Learning and ability to persist through Mistakes and adversity.

FILLING EMOTIONAL TANKS

Each person has an “Emotional Tank” that works like the gas tank of a car. When the tank is empty, we go nowhere. When the tank is full, we can go nearly anywhere. Athletes with full E-Tanks feel connected to their team and coach, which enables them to learn, perform and compete better!

Each person has an “Emotional Tank” that works like the gas tank of a car. When the tank is empty, we go nowhere. When the tank is full, we can go nearly anywhere. Athletes with full E-Tanks feel connected to their team and coach, which enables them to learn, perform and compete better! The best mix for a full Emotional Tank is five parts specific, truthful praise for each piece of constructive correction. 5:1 is the Magic Ratio!

HONORING THE GAME

Sports provide a great framework for cultivating ethical behavior. Winning and losing gracefully are hallmarks of people equipped to live in and lead a civil society. And learning to treat people with dignity, especially under the pressure of competition, is one of the most valuable life lessons sports can offer.

Sports provide a great framework for cultivating ethical behavior. Winning and losing gracefully are hallmarks of people equipped to live in and lead a civil society. And learning to treat people with dignity, especially under the pressure of competition, is one of the most valuable life lessons sports can offer. In sports, this is "Honoring the Game," respect for Rules, Opponents, Officials Teammates and Self. These are the ROOTS of positive competition and a healthy team culture!

DEVELOPMENT ZONE®

Youth and high school sports can provide a "Development Zone®" environment for developing Better Athletes, Better People, but only if coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes intentionally make it so.

Youth and high school sports can provide a "Development Zone" environment for developing Better Athletes, Better People, but only if coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes intentionally make it so. Insuring that young athletes get to learn and compete in a Development Zone Culture (as opposed to a win-at-all-cost culture) is a great gift youth and high school sports leaders can make possible for their communities. That’s why PCA Founder Jim Thompson’s latest book, his ninth, is titled Developing Better Athletes, Better People: A Leader’s Guide to Transforming High School and Youth Sports into a Development Zone. And that’s why our website of 1,000+ free printable and audio-video tips and tools is called the Development Zone Resource Center.