Whether you love him or not, whether you pull for ‘Bama or not, there is much we can learn from Nick Saban. He is arguably not only the best college football coach in the game but possibly the best coach in all of sports. Here are a few things as coaches, we can take from him.
*Invest in the Mental Game. Saban alone has 3 mental skills specialist that work just with him. He employs numerous others to work with his team. He practices what he preaches in that the mental game is difference in winning and losing.
In the National Championship game, there were countless examples of this mental toughness. One of the biggest might have been the mental preparation of the backup freshmen quarterback thrown in the game to start the second half. Not only was he prepared for his moment, but the starter for the past 2 years was just as prepared to handle his new role on the bench with pride and selflessness.
We have to give credit to Saban and the mental game on Alabama’s ability to come back. They were down 13-0 at the half without showing any signs of offense, displaying uncharacteristic errors, and looking like they were about to crack on several occasions. Not many coaches can regroup their teams at half in such a high-profile game to rally back against a top caliber team.
Another example was how the team handled their place kicker missing a game winning field goal. At such a crucial time in the game many players would display frustration. Instead, a large group of guys surrounded the kicker and told him, “We’ve got you”. This type of “we’ve got your back” mentality comes from an environment where unity and mental toughness are the backbone of a team.
*Trust Your Players. How many of us whether we verbalize it or not don’t completely trust our players? We may not trust them to do the right thing or maybe we don’t have faith in them to come through at crunch time. If you have done your job in recruiting and in coaching/teaching, then get out of their way and trust them to make the play, trust them to come through in crunch time. Saban showed this type of trust in his backup QB. Throughout his career, he has often “gambled” by putting the game on the line with calls that show his faith in his players.
*See the Bigger Picture. This isn’t to say Saban isn’t about winning. No one reaches the top of the sports world without an intense desire to win. However, he sees the game of football in a larger world view. His comment after the game to his guys, “I hope you take something from this game and the resiliency that you showed and it helps you be more successful in life” demonstrates that he understands that a large part of his job is to teach his players how to succeed beyond college football.
Few coaches ever will be in a position to win 7 National Championships, but we owe it to ourselves to learn from others, so we can be as successful as possible. Seek out help in the mental game for yourselves and your team, trust yourself and your players, and don’t forget the bigger picture.
For more stories, tips, and information on confidence, mental toughness, unity, etc follow Tami on twitter @r2lcoaching and @tamimatheny.