Championship Formula: What Are The Components Of A Title-Winning Team?

Is there a magic formula for winning your league’s championship? The easy, obvious answer: no.

However, there are certain steps and team ingredients that make up a winning formula. Let’s take a look at some common factors that most championship teams share and see what it takes to win it all:

1. Leaders Over Stars

Sure, one of the easiest ways to have a successful season is with superior talent. A loaded roster or transcendent star simply makes it that much easier to win.

Yet, while the path to a successful season may be clearer with a star or two, having the best lineup in the league isn’t enough to just guarantee winning it all. Not without strong leadership.

Strong leaders carry teams to titles, because they are the ones willing to lay it all on the line and inspire others. Being a superior athlete or a prodigy on the field, court or ice doesn’t automatically make players leaders. Leadership comes by the example that is set, and that applies more to great character than it does to great skill.  

Remember, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard; and leaders are the ones that make that happen.

2. Overcoming Adversity

Just like in a sports movie, your team is going to face adversity at some point during the season. Whether it’s losing your star player to injury or facing the evil Iceland hockey team your heated rival in the most important game of the year, your team is going to have to overcome a major obstacle.  

How your team responds to those pressures and hurdles is a key indication of future success.

Are your players resilient? Do they bounce back from a tough loss or an emotionally draining victory? Is your squad capable of fighting back when they’re behind?

Resilient teams keep finding ways to win.

3. Call The Reserves

Your season is long. Injuries and fatigue are going to factor in at some point; it’s just a fact of sports.

That’s why roster depth and flexibility is such an important part of the championship equation. Even the best players need to take a breather at some point. You must be able to trust that your bench players and second line are suitable replacements for your starters, or you are going to run into trouble down the line. 

Keep in mind, it’s often the rotation players who become the “unsung heroes;” the ones that push your team over the top in the moments that matter most.

Don’t forget, the hero of last year’s Super Bowl wasn’t Tom Brady or Richard Sherman — it was undrafted rookie free agent and third-string cornerback Malcolm Butler. Depth matters.

4. Proper Planning

While your athletes are the ones playing the game, they still need to be properly prepared. In order to be successful, you must have the right game plan.

Talent can also be beaten by better team play. Nobody gave the Villanova Wildcats a shot against the juggernaut Georgetown Hoyas in the 1985 NCAA Men’s Basketball title game. And no one believed the scrappy American team could beat the U.S.S.R. hockey goliath at the 1980 Olympics. But both teams prevailed, primarily because they had a plan. 

But just having a game plan isn’t enough. It needs to be the best game plan for the team you have, not the team you desire. Being flexible is a key to game planning.

With the right combination of leadership and planning, resilience and depth, it’s easy to put together a title-winning formula.

Author Bio

Travis Armideo, marketing manager at Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, is a lifelong ice hockey player. He began playing for various clubs at a young age and continued onto junior teams, while also playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. Travis is still heavily involved in athletics, coaching high school and youth ice hockey athletes, as well as playing men’s league ice hockey on a regular basis.