Purpose: to establish a standard by increasing the level of integrity and improve the character of all athletes: one player and one day at a time.

The more you pour into today’s player, the more they have to give. 

Increasing your “Assists” (Serving & Assisting Others)

The key to being a great leader and a great teammate is putting your teammates before yourself and there’s no better way to do that then serving them on a daily basis.   A teammate who is frequently served turns into a teammate who wants to serve their teammate. Selfless teammates are great teammates.

Conversation Starters:

-Tell a personal story of when someone served you that made a profound impact on you. Speak on the impact of that event and how it led you to serve others.
-Ask 1-2 players to recall a story of when they saw a teammate serving another teammate or a teammate went out of their way to serve others (you may need to ask players in advance to all them to prepare.) Share an example of something you’ve seen at practice or in a game that made an impression on you when it comes to serving.

Teaching illustration’s/Demonstrations:

-Ask a player to stand up and to begin listing out all the things he could use assistance with on the court, in school, at home, etc… (could be a ride home, work on his/her math homework, laundry at home, to drop something off to a teacher, a new ankle brace, etc.) Record the list and then ask his teammates if anyone of them could help in any of those areas or if they know someone who could help in that area. Ask the player how impressed they’d be if a teammate willingly helped out in that area? How would that make them feel? Would they feel motivated to help that person back?

-Have the players connect the importance of assists on the court/field as it relates to assisting others off the field. When someone sets you up with a beautiful assist what does that look like? What’s usually the outcome of a perfect assist? How does the team look when someone each possession sets his or her teammate up with the perfect assist?Give an example of a beautiful assist off the field. When could you have used a beautiful assist from one of your teammates recently?

Quotes:

-A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
-There is no exercise better then reaching down and lifting up one of your teammates.
-The person who helps others only after being asked has waited to long.
-F.A.M.I.L.Y – Forget, About, Me, I, Love, You
-Make sure you get what you want but make sure the other person gets what they want first and more often.

Learning Traits:

-Encouragers are always willing to sacrifice for others.
-Encouragers are optimistic and always find the good in situations.
-Encouragers believe in other people.
-Encouragers epitomize: do unto others as you would want done unto you.
-Encouragers live by example.

Action Items:

-Have players say: “let me know what I can do for you” when they’re saying bye to each other at the end practice.
-Offer to bring out the gym bags, go and get the balls, put away all the equipment at the end of practice, voluntarily and without needing to be asked..
-Ask their coaches: “is there anything I can do to help you?”
-Put all the players names in a hat, pass the hat around, have each player grab a name (don’t tell anyone who they have) and during the upcoming week they have to do an act of service on at least two different occasions for that other player. (Optional – do an additional hat with Coaches names and have the players also grab a Coaches name)