We want each one of them to constantly strive to learn and improve. This involves comparing of their own performance, not the performance of another child. We don’t want younger developing players comparing themselves to older more mature players. We want them to focus on their individual performance. This allows us to offer more positive feedback.

Mistakes are an inevitable part of the game. If they are giving 100% and trying new things (as they strive to improve), mistakes are bound to occur, and our job as a coach and mentor is to help them bounce back from those mistakes. Always learning from your mistakes.Teams that focus on giving their full effort, constantly learning and improving, and bouncing back from mistakes, actually win more than teams who consistently focus on the scoreboard. We want a team that focuses on the ELM Tree of Mastery (Effort, Learning and Mistakes) because players who do this well are less anxious on the field and have a greater sense of confidence in themselves and their abilities.