#lambmethod

One of the initiatives I lead as a Graduate Assistant for the Griffon Esports program is Coaching Coaches. Our program utilizes student coaches to help with our Varsity teams. Coaching Coaches meets bi-weekly and attempts to help student coaches learn how to help their teams and better coach their players.

This past week I discussed the L.A.M.B method with our four coaches. It stands for look, aim, move, and believe. The method, shared by Scott Novis, helps our student coaches reset and focus on the bigger picture. I will go over the L.A.M.B method in my own words and provide Mr. Novis’s blog post about the method at the very end of the post.

Look

As coaches, we have to look at and evaluate the game, the team, and individual players. If a coach focuses too much on one aspect then the team will be affected. Also, it is important for the coach and the players of the team to be able to see the game from a different angle. The main goal of look is to be able to see what the team or individual player needs to improve.

Aim

Once the coach and players have an understanding of the goal or game the coach can begin setting up goals to aim for, hence the name aim. It is important to set the aim correctly. If a goal is hard to reach a player might lose motivation or if the goal is easy the player might become overconfident and not properly prepare. A coach has to be able to pinpoint what a player needs.

Move

The power of moving people to achieve a goal is beyond measure. A coach has to be able to measure progress with players and get players moving forward in that progress. It is important to help the player realize they are moving forward because that will keep them motivated. Mr. Novis goes over each level of challenges from beginner to advanced and shows how to help each player advance further.

Believe

The final piece to the method and what I find to be the most important. When a person believes in themself and the team nothing will stop them from achieving any goal they set. It is crucial for a coach to let their players know it is okay to lose but you have to learn something from the loss and get back up. Positive self-talk and a growth mindset are two tools a coach should use and help players learn to use in order to believe and work hard to achieve their dreams.