When you are coaching a sports team, getting people to work together is essential, so in addition to the usual training drills, you may want to consider adding some team building exercises. Team building isn’t just for corporate environments, it brings people together and helps them work together during tough matches and tournaments. Here are some simple ideas to help your sports team bond.
Design a logo and uniform
Even if you’re a small, local team in a tiny league, you should have a team logo as a symbol of your unity and pride. Spend some time designing one together as a team building exercise. One way to show off your logo is to have it printed on a uniform, which you can choose on https://airxteamwear.com.au. You can opt for t-shirts and baseball caps, or a full uniform in the team’s colors, it simply depends on the style you want to go for.
Have a team initiation
While hazing new team members is a bad idea, it’s fun to have an initiation ceremony where people officially become part of the team. This could be a ceremony where they get their uniform, or a party to welcome the new people.
Relay races
During training, split the team into two and get them to do some relay races against each other. Whether it’s dribbling, running or any other skill related to the sport, this kind of race gets everyone cheering on their teammates while practicing those important skills.
The human knot game
To form a human knot, everyone stands in a circle and has to grab the hands of two different people, which can’t be their neighbours. The result is a big mess of hands and bodies, which people then have to ‘untie’ by using communication skills and working together. The bigger the knot, the harder it gets.
Post-game celebrations
Even if your team doesn’t win a game, spending some time together after a game will give you time to talk through your performance, think about the good and bad, and generally enjoy spending time with your teammates. Even if you just go out for pizza, it creates a ritual that helps build a team.
Host annual awards
Many local sports teams host annual awards, and they don’t exactly have to be like the Oscar’s to make them special. You can have both serious and funny categories, such as:
- Most goals scored
- Most positive attitude
- Funniest celebration dances
- Most likely to forget their kit
- Most improved
- Most likely to go professional
Keep it light-hearted, and don’t make fun of things that people might be self-conscious about. The aim is to have a bit of banter, not offend people. Make or find some funny trophies to give out and make a night of it.
Team building is an essential part of playing a sport together, so if you don’t know your team-mates very well, try some team building exercises to get people socialising. You may well find that this improves your team’s performance when it comes to big games.
