No matter the sport, communication is a vital aspect of good team play. In volleyball, talking to your teammates can help establish timing and strategy. In football, quarterbacks and linebackers often shout directions to call an audible or make a quick realignment in the formation. Baseball, basketball and a wide range of other team sports involve plenty of in-game discussion so players can get the most out of their teammates.
That said, young athletes aren’t always as willing to communicate on the court or on the field. This can be attributed to a number of different reasons depending on the youngster. Sometimes they are shy and would rather not speak up when they can instead just keep quiet and play. Other times this lack of communication is rooted in general inexperience. When a player hasn’t been practicing a sport for a long time, some of the more advanced facets of the game (such as in-game-discussion) are occasionally forgotten.
Coaches should use sports team websites to teach their young athletes about the merits of frequent communication. They can outline good examples of in-game talk and further encourage their players to participate in this often-underrated aspect of sports.
Rising Utah Jazz improve communication
The Utah Jazz are surprisingly one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the All-Star break. Center Rudy Gobert has anchored one of the league’s most improved defenses with his size and shot-blocking prowess.
While the Jazz may not be pushing for a playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference, the team at least has a silver lining to build upon for next season, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
“The biggest thing, honestly, is I think our communication has improved,” coach Quin Snyder told the news outlet. “We’ve been covering for each other more in situations where we have multiple efforts, where one guy gets a contest and another guy gets a contest. We don’t quit on plays. I think there’s an increased urgency as well.”
Teamwork and talk lift USF women’s basketball
The San Francisco Examiner reported that the University of San Francisco women’s basketball team has won 18 games this season, led by the team-wide dedication to communication.
“That’s something we’ve actually worked a lot on,” USF head coach Jennifer Azzi told the news outlet. “This group tends to be pretty quiet, but you can’t play basketball without talking. So, that’s part of the chemistry that’s developing. They’re more and more comfortable with that.”
