Installing Your System: How Do You Get Athletes To Buy-In?

Aside from developing players, one of the tougher assignments coaches face is building their system and fostering it year after year. In order to truly install a system and run it effectively, you must have complete buy-in from your players.

Without buy-in from your entire team, there are going to be problems. Ever wonder why the Philadelphia Eagles were so willing to part ways with their top wide receiver, DeSean Jackson? Well, Jackson’s reported ‘selfishness’ didn’t mesh well with the system and culture that coach Chip Kelly was building. Instead of letting one rouge player derail the entire team, they made the decision to part ways before it became an issue.

Even the best systems fail when athletes and coaches aren’t on the same page. With that being said, let’s take a look at 3.5 pointers for getting your players to buy-in to your system:

1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Respect is one of the easiest ways to get your athletes to buy-in to your system. When your players hold the coaching staff in high regard and value their teaching, discipline and leadership, they are fully engaged and willing to follow.

But that level of respect needs to work both ways. Players respect coaches who treat them as equals; partners working together towards one goal. They won’t simply respect you just for being their coach; you must show them that you are on the same level.

Listen to your players, trust their opinions and respect their individual personalities and motivations (more on that in a moment). After all, they are the ones out on the field, court or ice executing the system you implemented.

If your athletes don’t respect you, they won’t respect your system.

2. Nice To Know You

You may be the best coach in the world with the most advanced system ever created — in which case, you may be Chip Kelly … Hey Chip! — but if your system and coaching style doesn’t work for the players you have, your team won’t be successful. In order to create the perfect system for your team, you must be in touch with your players and both their individual and collective tendencies.

If your team is currently constructed of offensive playmakers, you may need to play more of a ‘run-and-gun’ style to take advantage of your talent. If your offense is lacking, it would make more sense to focus on a stout defense and capitalize on your opponents’ mistakes to generate your offense.

Your system doesn’t necessarily need to be tailor-made for your team, but amenable enough that you’re able to mold it to fit the athletes and talent that you have. When players are forced into a system that isn’t a natural fit, they may struggle, and that means they won’t totally buy-in.

If you are asking your players to do something they know they aren’t capable of doing well or they know they’ll fail at, they won’t want to follow your lead.

3. Let’s Get Excited

Much like their playing styles, every team has a different mental makeup. That means the motivation tactics you use may not work for every player across the board, but finding the right balance is key for player buy-in.

Every team has a collective culture that requires a specific type of motivation. Do your players respect a screaming tyrant or a coach who acts like their best friend? Do your players respond to being disciplined or are they more receptive to a motivating speech? Is a short warm-up sufficient enough to prepare your team or do they play better after an extended warm-up session?

An intimate knowledge of your team’s preferences goes a long way to getting your players to buy-in to your system.

3.5.  Ch-ch-ch-changes

Whether it’s due to injuries, graduation or players moving on to other teams or the next level, your team is going to change year after year.

As those changes come, you need to be prepared to adjust and tweak your system accordingly. Take time to re-evaluate your system each offseason and make changes as they become necessary.

Want to successfully implement your system? When you have the respect of your players and know what makes them tick, it’s easy to get your players to buy-in.