I'll buy that

Why do coaches always talk to their teams about buying in?  And, why do players have such a hard time actually doing it?

We all have a notion of what buying in means.  It is giving your self to your coach and teammates.  Buying in to a team is the epitome of selflessness.  In order for it to work, all the members of a team need to do it.  One under-miner and the whole thing falls apart.  Think of a team as a chain on a bike.  When intact, the bike functions perfectly and propulsion is the result.  If one link in that chain fails, or in this case when players choose themselves over the team, the bike goes nowhere.  It remains in place, no propulsion, no progress, and no wins.

So, if we all understand and truly believe this "buying in" cliche to be true, why is it so hard for young men and women to actually buy in?  That is simple. Our sports culture is built on the star.  They are given hero status, idolized for their individual ability.  Rarely do we hold the team player, the bought in, on high.  Young men and women are raised on this reality.  They want to be the star; we all want to be the star.  Driveway fantasies never involve the team player, they always result in the star, you, making the game winning shot.  Has anyone ever been selfless enough to fantasize about taking a charge or setting a screen in their driveway?  Nope.  That doesn't exist.  We are all selfish to a degree.  We all want to be the star.

The single most important thing to overcome is the selfishness we are all taught.  Coaches have known that their chief enemy is the selfish player forever.  If the enemy is known, why then can't all coaches get their teams to buy in?  A known enemy should be easy to defeat.  Selfishness is a different kind of enemy though.  It cannot be scouted.  It can never be eliminated.  It is omnipresent.  How do you get ahead of it as a coach?  The elixir lies in communication.  Simple communication.  Repeated communication.  "We are going to be three things: tough, incessant and honest".  Simplification of the message.  Give players something they can understand.  Give them simple and clear instruction as to why your practice plan and the drills within it are important.  Explain to them what each drill is building for today, and why the skills learned will be necessary  for tomorrow.

You must foster the buy in with your team.  Take the names off of the shooting shirts.  Take the names out of the program.  Value and reward buying in.  That means valuing and rewarding what you are teaching in practice.  Don't value stats, unless stats are what you preach.  If you preach effort, value and reward effort.  You really want players to buy in?  Foster it.  Reward what is in your plan.  Stick to your plan.  Train the way your players think about the game.  Change what they think is worthy of reward.  Make all rewards and repercussions team based.  And, always use "we" and "us", and make them do the same. 

Players, buying in will eventually fall onto you.  Each of you have a chance to aide or derail your coach.  You have all the power.  Concern yourself with yourself and you all lose.  Buy in and everybody wins.  Winning is remembered.  Box scores end up on refrigerators, at your moms house.  Wins never fade.  There is no ink to fade.  Wins remain in the memories of you and your teammates.  They are forever.

Do me, and your coach, a favor and stop talking shop with your friends and family.  Unless of course you want to talk about the values outlined in your coaches plan.  When someone says, "why didn't you play more?"  You say, "we played, we won, and it sure is fun to win."  Never let your friends and family put doubt in your individual buy in.  Shoot, get your friends and family to buy in too.  It takes a great teammate to fully buy in.  Hang your hat on that.  Tell your friends and family about other team members that have fully bought in.  Make it about the collective "we" and never about "me".

Buying in has become cliched.  And sports cliches have become taboo.  Cliches though, are often sound in message and meaning.  That is why they have been replicated so often and why they continue to be used.  Buying in is a cliche that ought to be continued.  It's merely been misused, and often attempted and failed.  Keep trying.  It's worth it.  Selfless, team first players and honest, "we" based coaches win, and win, and win.  So, winning is directly tied to buying in?  I'll buy that.