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Coaches are needed today to help athletes grow regardless of how long they play the sport. The unfortunate part of sports is that you never know what your last day will be.That’s why you want players to make the most of every opportunity. But you must set them up for success. The first step in that is getting them to dedicate themselves to the team and the individual challenges of competition. Teach them that even if they are in a sport like tennis or golf, there is a process that can help them if they are dedicated.Dedication forces people to look inside themselves and determine what they believe in. Fundamental beliefs about life come into play because that’s what ultimately guides us through our days. If people get involved in something that doesn’t match their values, there will very probably be a conflict at some point. Athletes must find a fit between personal values and team values to be successful, and coaches are the ones who can help make this a reality. Every day is filled with challenges and decisions, and our values help us through it all.When there is a good fit, participation becomes easier. There is a chance to pursue both personal and team goals. There may be some struggles, but dedication and fit help it along.There may be conflict that is constructive. For instance, when there is a new coach or a change in the team, there will be an adjustment period as the coach adjusts the team’s values and fits them to personal values and expectations. This is a healthy transition time to build or realign a cohesive team. Here, dedication requires commitment to giving heart and soul in pursuit of achieving and maintaining that balance.In addition to dedication, your athletes need to accept accountability. Whatever happens, they must accept ownership and responsibility. This notion is not about finding blame, it is about focusing on what happened and finding ways to manage the outcome. Your athletes should find ways to duplicate good outcomes and increase them. Similarly, your athletes should work to mitigate or eliminate bad outcomes. This is done by analyzing what happened and trying to change what led up to the negative outcome.Dedication and accountability should be paired with sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is about winning and losing gracefully, but it is also about managing emotions in heated moments. In all sports, there are times when tempers flare. But we must control those emotions and treat each other as we want to be treated. It is everyone’s responsibility, not just the “antagonists,” to control situations and make sure they don’t get out of hand.“I tell my players not to say anything to anyone that you don’t want said to you,” said Michael Brown, head coach of the Berkeley Bulldogs middle school football team in Williamsburg, Va. “I urge them not to talk their way through the game unless they are talking to teammates. I want them to address competition between the whistles, then walk away from anything else.”Brown says dedication and accountability are not just for players. “I must be dedicated to our program, and I must be accountable for the good and the bad. Most important, I keep in mind that my players are always watching me. When I challenge an official’s call or disagree with another coach, I must be sure to do it correctly by controlling my emotions. The more I am in sync with my players, the more they will follow my actions. That’s important to keep in mind.”At the end of the day, it all comes back to dedication and accountability. Dedication is most important. Dedication is something that coaches must demand from themselves and their players. If it’s not there, your season will struggle at some point.NOTE: Coach Brown’s philosophy is 3D: Dedication, Detail, Discipline. The team must be dedicated to the task at hand, they must pay attention to the detail of what they’re taught and what they see, and they must be disciplined in all things. That includes family, faith, school, work, and sports.