Locker Room

Topher Scott dives into how to improve your team's culture by having a great Locker Room.

A healthy locker room is vital to a team's success and the overall health and well being of your whole team, and also the individuals on your team." - Topher Scott

Three tips to improve your locker room culture:

1. Model The Way

• Positive Energy: It starts with you! Your energy and positivity inside the locker room and on the ice is contagious with your players and fellow coaches. Be consistent with your energy and positivity and it will become part of your team's culture. 

2. Develop Leaders

• Educate Players: Teach your team how to be leaders. Leaders focus on personal relationships and the well being of the locker room. Let your players know that it is their responsibility to take care of each other. Let them know that they can reach out to a teammate that might be struggling. Let them know they should be supportive if someone makes a mistake. Let them know they should step in if someone is getting bullied. 
• Accountability From Players: When players police the locker room to discourage negative behavior and cultivate positive behavior, it is so much more valuable than when it comes from the coach. 

3. Educate On Bullying

Unfortunately, bullying in youth hockey and athletics is something that is prevalent, especially in the younger age levels. It is important that the coach does not turn their back on this important issue. They need to educate themselves and their team on how to prevent and address it.

• Talk About It: discuss bullying in the beginning of the year. Let parents and kids know that bullying is not acceptable on this team and everyone needs to look out for each other. Let people know the negative effects of bullying (it will destroy a team, personally hurt kids and many kids will quit because of it).
• Model The Way: If a coach models the way of healthy relationships and does not tolerate toxic ones or bullying, it will give players a model of what good communication looks like.