Who is accountable for an athlete’s behavior on & off the field?

The title sounds a bit unsympathetic, but trust me it is not. Each one of us has been through situations in our lives where we sort of curse ourselves for not making the right call. Ask yourselves, haven't we taken decisions we should not have taken or agreed to something we never believed in or took too much responsibility? Our lives are based on the decisions we make, not just for our good but also the ones we took to encourage others to follow a path or create one of their own. Who taught us that in the first place?

?Our parents, are a role model in a true sense (in their ways of course). Simon Taufel strongly believes that, "the way we talk to others, treat others, approach tasks or make decisions and generally behave, are a significant reflection of parents". Interacting with him has been a privilege and a dream come true for me. He strongly accentuates that,

From a coaching perspective in sports, an athlete's character is the most important and crucial trait, which is often overlooked or underrated. It is a thin line between being the greatest of all times (GOAT) or the worst. We all have dreams to become the best in the world, and for that we seek guidance from people who have been there, faced the challenges and made something great from that opportunity - people other than our parents.

The guidance comes from our coaches or mentors or trainers. The names and designations may differ, but the task in common, i.e., giving the right direction to the best of their capabilities to the budding athletes who dream to Steffi Graf, Mark Waugh, Rafael Nadal, PT Usha, Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt of the next generations. In my opinion, "it is the character and thought process of the parents coupled with the abilities of the coach or mentor or trainer which reflects on the behavior and performance of a player".

It is purely based on the core values we teach the kids in our academies using sport as a medium of communication. And, this is taking nothing away from the lessons, tactics and tricks designed for each player based on the SWOT analysis done while putting them in the toughest conditions possible.

Where did this thought come from? There is a point in the book Finding the Gaps by Simon Taufel, where he asked who is responsible for the behavior of the athletes on & off the field? This has to be given a deeper interest, particularly in this digital era where we have access to tons of information. Anyone can pick up anything that they like, and start believing in it without knowing the risks and repercussions which along. The whole idea of being an athlete is to find the gaps and come-up with the ways of filling them up.

This fits-in for our situational discussion perfectly and sums it up quite clearly. It is not just parents who are responsible for the character that the budding athlete (the kid) is going to have, going forward. It is the responsibility of the coaches and trainers as well. Every sport at some point, has been responsible for making an athlete big or bring them down to their knees. Curiously, the greats of varied sporting dimensions from different junctions of the planet. My coach told us, "if we don't respect the sport, the sport won't respect us either."

We have had instances that start with sledging and end up in a nasty fight or attitude issues causing athletes to lose their lifetime earnings overnight. It is not just about the skills or the talent we possess, behaving in a certain manner is equally important. Once we get to a situation where our actions speak more than our words, every single thing we do can be an influencing factor for someone to do something which nobody could have ever envisioned.

For instance, Men's U19 World Cup Final Bangladesh outplayed India. The players reacted in a manner that was not necessary. Especially, after proving it through their performance. We as parents, coaches, mentors, trainers and managers need to keep the spirit of the game first and remind our athletes that, "Words may show a man's wit, but actions his meaning - Benjamin Franklin".

Be it, parents or coaches, it all comes down to passing on the culture of grooming the next-generation athletes in a way you would have thought the team should look like in the coming years. We all are confident and we wish to achieve what others have or may not have achieved, but it is also about how we behave with anyone and everyone around us when we reach the peak of the mountain. It is those little droplets of water, that will help us make a mighty ocean.

If you get a chance, watch the movie Coach Carter - which overall is basketball. But, it is really about grooming players or as the movie says student-athletes to be role models of tomorrow and share the history of an institution well-known to have produced individual personalities rather than "just" athletes. This may seem to be a theoretical or hypothetical perspective. But once you add a layer of challenges, it becomes practical.

There is a reason why no one sledged S Waugh, challenged R Federer, tested skills of R Dravid, tried to score a point of Serena Williams. They would just take away the match from you purely based on how calm they are (one of the traits which athletes learn to master after years and years of practice).

How do the kids get to learn the core values of being a better human first and later be the best athlete? We should allow them to explore the tactical and tricky fragments of the sport which we as parents, coaches, mentors and trainers have designed for them or as I call it, the PRACTICE-Model. Each component here is interrelated and heavily interdependent. If you take an entity out of the process it would never serve you the purpose. To start with, we need to have a perception of our own first.

?Each entity has its purpose and strengths, which done with extreme awareness and right attitude - will give us results (both short term and long term). But, what it does is help us be great role models even if we don't succeed (which happens more often). This is not just for athletes, but for a normal human being as well. 

To sum it up, I quote Simon Taufel here again, 

"Behaviours can shift accordingly but someone’s character rarely does."

"The values of honesty, integrity, empathy, and knowing right from wrong are set early. This is why parents should aim to find schools, clubs and environments consistent with their values and those we want for our children. It will assist in keeping the behaviours more aligned with the child’s character we are developing. Just like the best houses and apartment blocks, you cannot build something of quality that will stay strong through many a storm, without having a solid foundation - in this case, excellent values and character."

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