The key to any team sport is the team. You can have players will excellent fundamentals and implement great tactics but it all comes down to the cohesion of the group. There is the rub. Build cohesion without forcing it on everyone.

First, it is necessary to understand where exactly cohesion or chemistry comes from. Scientifically speaking, people identify with groups based on the emotions they elicit. So the initial step in building chemistry is to make everyone feel comfortable. Then, once people relax they can open up and build relationships which is all cohesion is - a relationship with a purpose.

One of the best ways to relax everyone is to force everyone to identify each other on the team. By this I don’t mean memorizing names but acknowledging each person as a component of the group. This is done through nicknames. As long as the title revolves around a positive circumstance a powerful trigger has been created that instantly links in a person to a group and a good feeling. What more can you ask for?

This past weekend Adam Scott won the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in extra holes by draining a 48 footer for birdie. It was an incredible shot, one of the best of the week. However, it is also completely illogical. How do you miss 12-15 footers all day and then drop a interstate bomb?

There are many ways to read a putt. You can pick a line, aim for a point, find the apex, etc. Each method works as long as you accurately see the contours of the putting surface. Unfortunately, for most amateurs they never get to see if their read was correct because they do not put a good stroke on the ball.

The hole is approximately four and a quarter inches wide. It is a little wider than the width of your hand. That is pretty wide. So here is the current problem in mindsets for just about everyone not getting paid to play. The hole is fairly wide but the fixation during putting is on a point or a line. Essentially, the golfer takes a small target and makes it smaller.

It all comes down to the visualization of the putt. How wide is the line or how big is the point you aim for before you commit to the swing. Chances are the putt you are about hit has been made more difficult due to the restriction placed on the desired path. Next time you putt, allow for a little more room for error. If you focus on a line to the hole, imagine the line is 4.25 inches wide. That is probably a nice big boulevard compared to the razor line you normally visualize. This will relax your stroke preventing pushes or shorts.

The second season of the NBA is currently in full swing. Every playoff game means so much in a seven game series that coaches are willing to dig deep in their bag of tricks to get their players primed. The latest example of this practice is from the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, George Karl.

Already down 1-0 to the Los Angeles Lakers, Karl knew the team needed a little kick to up the intensity and aggressiveness for game two. Before the second game he showed his team video segments from mixed martial arts. Watching pure, unadulterated fury is not normally expected in preparation for a basketball game. It almost worked. For three quarters the Nuggets kept the game close until the the Lakers proved to be too much in the fourth quarter. And it never hurts to have Kobe Bryant drop 49 points.

The reasons for the loss are numerous: Bryant hit unbelievable shots, the game was played in Los Angeles, etc. However, Karl must be applauded for taking a chance in his communication with the team. The take-away message before the game was aggressiveness. The expected course of action would be just to say it. He, instead, violated expectations by showing a video. This brings up a major point of communication. If you want your message to be completely heard then you must violate the expectations of the audience.

Any time you depart from normal behavior you give your team unexpected actions. People pay more attention to new things than the usual. Karl did not have a history of showing fighting videos before games so the message was clearly communicated and all the players understood what was desired.

Unfortunately, the Nuggets lost game two and now face an almost impossible task in trying to win the series down two games to none. They can overcome and win but the mindset needs to be shifted. It will definitely help playing at home but they must win the third game.

The fighting video resonated with the players. The players knew what was expected of them and Karl showed he could send a message to his team. It is clear the team respected Karl for taking the chance and switching things up but the medium is always the message. Fighting is an individual sport and the Nuggets in game two played a largely individual game. The message of the video was individual aggressiveness and that is exactly what the Denver players showed.

If you want the team to be aggressive then you must plant the seed of a group dynamic being aggressive. Perhaps showing a battle scene from Braveheart would set the tone of unity and overcoming adversity. After all, in game two the Nuggets got 12 assists versus their season average of 24. The result of aggressiveness as individuals.

Everyone knows practice makes perfect. Some may argue only perfect practice makes perfect but I think everyone agrees that repetition builds skill sets. Most coaches operate under the philosophy if you want to get better at something do it more. For example, if you want to run faster then run more, to get stronger lift more, etc. Yet, this does not seem to apply to all facets of competition.

Take for instance the free throw. Other than screaming fans waving whatever they can get their hands on, the shot is totally uncontested. The distance to the basket is always the same, height of the basket is always the same and size of the basket is always the same. Which brings up the conundrum.

One of the greatest active players is Kobe Bryant. Love him or hate him, his skill set is exceptional. He can control his body and the basketball with surgical precision but lets focus on his foul shooting. He has a career average of about 84%. By all accounts this is a great percentage. However, if repetition was the sole reason for improvement than one would expect year after year his free throw numbers to improve. Unfortunately, this is not the case. During the 1998-99 season he shot almost 84% but the following year he shot 82%. Clearly, factors beyond mechanical repetition are at work.

The key to improvement in a controlled situation like a free throw or 3-foot putt is to go beyond the mechanical requirements and simulate the situation. A free throw in an empty gym is no big deal just as a gimme putt on the practice green is automatic. However, what about a free throw with seconds left and your team is down by one. Or a short putt that will force a playoff in a major. Therefore, to maximize the repetition of practice an athlete must visualize the most stressful situation they will encounter. This is what creates perfect practice, the attention to details you will be subjected to during competition.

Have you ever wondered why one kid enjoys a team while another gets burned out? Or why one’s ability will increase faster than another’s even though they are on the same team? Those answers and many more can be found in Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset.

The book elucidates two methods of thinking. On the negative side of the spectrum is the fixed mindset. This is an idea that today is as good as you will get. If you do not succeed it is because you are not good enough and you should take it personally.

On the positive side lies the growth mindset. This method of thinking accepts that any setbacks are due to a lack of mastery. An attempt creating undesired results is simply a learning opportunity you can grow from. Or stated another way, tomorrow you will be better than you are today.

The book delves into studies and examples that show exactly how powerful the mindset can be. It also adds to the reader’s vocabulary so they can identify the mindsets of people around them. This is a must read for coaches and parents as it will only help you make the experience of sport my enjoyable for your athletes.