Sports Performance Psychology: Group Dynamics it Is

Sports Performance Psychology: Group Dynamics It is often said that there is no 'I' in team. One of the challenges as well as one of the rewards of team sports is that it is essential that all participants are able to function effectively as a unit to shine (Horn 2008). Unfortunately, high school teams are often made up of players with very different ability levels.

If one student is innately gifted athletically, this can lead to arrogant behavior on the court, such as a refusal to pass the ball when necessary to team members during a game, unwillingness to go to practice (or to participate in the less 'fun' aspects of practice, such as drills), and a general bad attitude.

The problem regarding the group dynamics of one high school basketball team was as follows: one player was much better than the other players and could 'get away' with minimal practice and only showing up at games. In doing so, he made the other players feel frustrated and undervalued. They resented his talent and ego. On the other hand, the coach could not afford to kick the player off of the team for fear of weakening the team and drawing the ire of parents and the athletics department.

"As the level of competition increases the contribution of athletes in relation to the team's vision and collective maintenance becomes more influential" (Beauchamp & Eys 2007: 109). The challenge of the coach in this context was to continue to support the top player while not showing favoritism and continuing to honor the commitment of his other players. Bolstering the roles the other players fulfilled on the team while not giving undue emphasis to the star player was vital.

In general, there are two fundamental components that promote adherence to group activities: task adherence, or the commitment to performing the activity and individual loyalty to the group on a social level (Beauchamp & Eys 2007: 119). In this instance, the star player had a high level of task adherence (at least at games, when he made an effort to play well and win) but a low level of individual adherence to the group. As a result, this created a group dynamic that was tension-ridden.

An intervention is clearly needed to set standards for teamwork and to divert the focus from individual accomplishments. Setting group rather than individual goals is extremely important in team-building. Thus, to create more cohesiveness, rather than simply focusing upon winning, stressing aspects of the team that require collective cooperation (such as praising teammates who pass the ball when it is warranted and who show sportsmanship) would be an important approach to take in practice.

Challenging the star player's competitive energies (and other senior players) by asking him to mentor younger teammates and to teach them skills would boost his self-esteem and increase his personal investment in the play of others. Requirements would also need to be set regarding when students could play or not play -- for example, if a player did not show up at practice without written proof of a legitimate excuse such as a doctor's appointment, he would automatically be barred from playing that in.