Praise the Process
🗣️ Quote of the Day
“It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there.”
— Mia Hamm
âš˝ Coaching Insight
It’s easy to cheer when the scoreboard reflects the work. But true development is built on moments that don’t make highlight reels. Praise is more meaningful when it is not expected.
Moments like:
- The player who arrives early to do extra passing reps.
- The defender who bounces back after a mistake.
- The substitute who stays engaged from the bench and encourages their teammates.
These aren’t flashy. They aren’t trophies. But they are the signs of a team learning to value the grind—and that happens when you praise the process.
Praising the process in coaching means recognizing growth, effort, discipline, and decision-making—not just outcomes. It’s about sending a clear message that who your players are becoming matters just as much as what they are achieving.
🧠Why the Process Matters
When your team only hears praise for goals, wins, and standout plays, you unintentionally train them to chase external validation. But when you start affirming the behaviors that lead to success—work rate, resilience, positioning, unselfish movement—you unlock intrinsic motivation.
That’s the stuff that sustains athletes beyond just one season.
Sports psychologists talk about the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Players with a fixed mindset are afraid to fail. Players with a growth mindset embrace challenge, persist through struggle, and learn from mistakes. And the number one factor that builds a growth mindset?
Consistent praise of effort and learning.
You have the power to shape that mindset every single day with your feedback.
đź“Ł Real Examples from the Field
- After a missed shot: “You took the right risk—keep pulling the trigger.”
- After a tough loss: “Our transitions were sharper today. That’s progress.”
- For the bench: “Your energy kept the starters going. That matters more than you think.”
When you praise the process, you teach players to:
- Own their development
- Focus on controllables
- Become resilient under pressure
That’s not just good coaching—it’s leadership for life.
🔥 Today’s Challenge
During your next session or match, find three specific moments to praise the process. Look beyond the obvious outcomes.
It might be:
- A player communicating more effectively
- A goalkeeper organizing their defense
- A midfielder staying composed under pressure
Then give clear, direct praise. Tie it to effort and growth. Make it known: this is what we value.
Want to take it further? Highlight those moments at the end-of-practice team talk. Celebrate them publicly.
đź’ˇ Keep Leveling Up.
Your words shape your culture. When you start praising the process, your players stop chasing perfection and start chasing progress.
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