I hear a lot of coaches talking about their players buying in, or getting their players to buy in to a system. I am not a big fan of this phrase, because it means they are trying to get kids on board with something and they have to really sell the kids. If a coach, or manager, is able to connect with their players and make a few tough decisions they will have no problem getting their players “All In” and they will no longer be salesmen or women.

This is a team, either you are “All in” or “All out”. Those are your two choices, I am not trying to sell anything to my players. The idea is to get them all to be all in with the team concept, and that is the tricky part, especially for the players who are not playing all the time.

Getting the players “All in” requires them to, like you, respect you, and know you are credible. All of these things are topics we have discussed before, and if all of those describe your player’s feelings towards you, then you will not have to sell them anything, they will simply and completely get on board, and be “All In”

Coaches that are unable to connect with their players will always be selling. They will be selling the idea they care about them, they have their best interest in mind, they know what they are talking about. All of this takes away from the things you really need to be doing; coaching, and worse yet it proves your players are on the fence.

Coaches who have the ability to connect to their players will have no problem getting the vast majority of their players “All In”. There will always be a few individuals who will not change, and sometimes they are your best and most talented players. When this happens the answer is pretty simple. Get rid of them, if you give them the opportunity to be “All In” and they refuse, or fight a little, then they are not your best, they will not make you better, they will hurt your chemistry, and in the end your most talented players will make your team worse.

“All In” or “All Out”