Urgency vs. Anxiety

When we are coaching we feel like a sense of urgency is a good thing. We are always drilling our guys on the importance of what's right in front of them - the next play, and how to do their job. In practice, with scouting, anything we are doing to prepare we want a sense of urgency. We certainly want them playing with urgency. What we are doing is important, and if this matters to you it should reflect in your approach. We want to instill a sense of urgency into our teams.

There is a difference between anxiety and urgency, but the line is a fine one. When you are trying to instill urgency, you can create a level a pressure that causes anxiety. Anxiety shows up when players really start to press. They are trying too hard, moving too fast, trying to make things happen too quickly. Anxiety becomes more about the result. Urgency is about the process.

When your players feel anxious, they get out of character. It's a mentality of "I have to make this 3" versus the focus to have your hands and feet ready when you know you might get a shot. Being aggressive and locked in on offense so that you are prepared when the ball comes your way comes from the right level of urgency. Forcing plays and trying too hard to create offense for yourself is a sign of anxiety. Urgent teams put the proper weight on the moment with the composure to handle it. Anxious teams are uncomfortable and looking for a quick solution. Anxious teams rarely play well.

You see it a lot when a player comes back from an injury. He's been out for a few weeks and he knows he can't get that time back. He's probably coming off the bench instead of starting, and he knows he's not going to play as many minutes as he works his way back. He wants to get it all back at once. He's anxious to see the result, so the process happens too fast for him. Everyone keeps telling him to relax, but it's not that simple. He wants to get back to his best level quickly, he doesn't have time to relax. He needs to know what urgent looks like, versus what it means to be anxious.

Emphasizing urgency is important, but if you feel like your team is anxious you may have to dial it back. If they are moving too fast, reacting emotionally to everything that happens and unable to focus on what's important, they are probably too anxious. And they won't be productive.

Take a step back and evaluate how you are feeling. If you feel jumpy, edgy and uncomfortable, your team is probably getting their anxiety from you. If you notice it in them, you may have to change your approach to get them back to center. It happens a lot in big games or high pressure situations - at least I know it does with me. I have to take a deep breath and make sure I'm thinking about how they are feeling, not how I am feeling.

Urgency is a good thing, but anxiety is not going to help you. If you see it in your team, it's likely they are seeing it in you. Urgency is about approaching the process the right way, and not about the result.