Day 4 - Be the Teammate Others Can Count On

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Each day for the next month, there will be a new topic posted here. Players, parents and coaches should review these materials every day. They will become the foundation for everything we do this season. Some days there will also be a short assignment. These assignments are mandatory for all players.

Guiding Principle #4 - Support Your Teammates

You can count on me.

Great teams are built on trust.

Every player on our team should know that the people beside them have their back.

You do not have to be best friends with everyone, but you do have to be a great teammate to everyone.

Supporting your teammates starts with three simple things:

Safety. We protect each other and look out for one another.
Belonging. Everyone matters. Every player deserves to feel included, respected, and important to the team.
Dependability. If I say you can count on me, I mean it. I will show up, work hard, communicate, encourage you, and do my part.

Trust works both ways: you can trust me because I know I can trust you.

Senpai-Kohai

Having an accountability partner can change everything. Knowing that someone else cares and is watching can be a powerful motivator. This is particularly true when we are attempting to develop a new routine such as daily training.

There is a Japanese tradition called Senpai-Kohai that is built around teammates, classmates, or coworkers helping and supporting one another.

We are going to use a simple version of that idea with our team.

Everyone will be paired with another player. One player may have a little more experience, but that is not really the important part. The goal is simply to make sure everyone has someone they can count on.

Your partner is someone you should:

Check in with
Encourage
Help when they need it
Include
Celebrate when things go well
Support when things are not going well

This partnership works both ways. You might be the one helping your partner one day, and the next day they might be helping you. That is what being a great teammate is about.

Sometimes support is something big. More often, it is something small: sitting beside someone who is new, giving them a tap after a tough shift, noticing when they are having a bad day, or simply saying:

“I’ve got you.”

Great teammates do not just play together. They look out for each other.

Today’s Assignment:

Each player should submit three (3) choices for their Senpai-Kohai partner using the form below: Ideally if you are a first-year player, you’ll pick second-year players and vice-versa. We will do our best to create partnerships that help everyone feel connected and supported.

Partners will be announced later this week.

Click here to select your Senpai-Kohai partner.

Complete today’s workout on the TeamBuildr app. Be sure to mark each exercise complete as you finish it. Depending on your schedule (other sports, work, etc.) it is okay to complete the exercises on another day or even substitute an alternate workout provided that the difficultly level is similar. Please make note of any substitutions or switches as part of the daily check in item in the TeamBuildr app.