Team Chemistry

Lets start off with how one should act when amongst one’s teammates. In practice, you should be giving Hi-fives, reiterating the phrase “good job”, lifting everyone’s moral, and always being positive. The reason for these simple gestures is because it will ultimately raise the team chemistry and make everyone a better player. On top of being encouraging while at practice, one must try to have team outings and just communicate with teammates and to try to know each other at a better level. This will increase the chemistry of the overall team because you will know your teammates like best friends. If you go to the same school with them, try to hang with them or if you are good at a subject and they are not, try to help them, be their older sibling, and let them know you are there for them. Besides tutoring them, making jokes always increases the chemistry, but of course, never make personal jokes that attack someone. Everybody has heard of this phrase: You can’t be mean and funny at the same time. Making fun of a person will make people laugh, but that person might not like that and it may really hurt him/her. Lastly, to have good chemistry, you should help them out with a problem so you can get closer. For example, if they got a bad grade on an exam, try to support them by saying you will do better next time, and that you will help them study.

John Wooden, one of the best coaches in college history, has had some of the most fascinating team chemistry in college basketball. He saw that a team did better on defense and offense with good chemistry, even if his teams weren’t as athletically gifted skills wise as other teams. The following quote by Dick Bennett explains how chemistry affects your team, “Players who are committed to the team first will find a way to help when things are going bad, they will do whatever it takes. Kids that are more into themselves will not do that. They will take care of themselves and get more individual when things are tough.” It is essential that all teammates on a team understand this quote, and aim at trying to do whatever for the team, rather than having a egotistic mindset.