MENTAL ATTITUDE QUESTIONARE FOR YOUR PLAYERS
Back in the early 90s there was a questionare that was administrated to all NHL, 14 MLB, 13 NFL, 5 NBA, 16 Olympic National, 500 plus colleges, and over 1500 high school programs. On 9/29/01 sports radio station WFAN in New York reported that all potential NY Giants football players take a phychological profile test before the Giants will get serious with the athlete.
The results of the questionare would create a psychological profile of each player and determine if the prospect or player would be a detrimental cancer to the team or a coachable player willing to take advice and instruction. Many times when a prospect scored low on questionare, the team would not choose him / her. It is a simple but not fool proof process to eliminate a problem BEFORE you make a decision to draft or recruit the player. Once you make the decision it's final! You need as many tools as possible to weed out the problem kids and find a gem.
I always used this test at the beginning of the season to create a mental profile of each kid. Use the title- "Are You A Coaches's Dream Or Nightmare?" or "Psychological Profile Questionare" when you hand it to your team. Tell the kids this is not a test and answer all questions honestly. The original test was over 200 questions, but you will find the fifteen I have listed will suffice your needs.
This test will give you a basic feel of the your coachable and uncoachable players. You must e-mail me to receive the answers for obvious seasons.
For more information on simular tests visit MentalGame.com. Their program is designed to improve attitudes and the coach is supplied a master inventory in all athlete attitude traits. This information helps the coach develop a better coaching process and as a result, student-athletes, coaches and parents work together and improve young peoples mental skills for tomorrow's society.
1) I feel like rebelling against the coach.
(a) somethings (b) seldom (c) never
2) I respect the training rules because they help me a be a better athlete.
(a) very true (b) quite true (c) true
3) I can understand why coaches do not always treat their athletes the same.
(a) true (b) in between (c) false
4) I think the best competitors in my sport are best mainly because they...
(a) have better coaches (b) have a better strategy (c) are better athletes
5) Which would you say is the most true of coaching?
(a) it can be harmful to certain types of athletes (b) in between in reference to "a" (c) it is always helpful
6) If I were not participating in a contest, I would...
(a) ask the coach why I was not competing (b) talk to my fellow teammates about it (c) say nothing
7) I do not like sticking to the coachs' strategy or game plan.
(a) somethings (b) seldom (c) never
8) I would like to become a coach.
(a) true (b) very true (c) never
9) One problem with athletes is that the individual athlete is have little say about what happens.
(a) true (b) in between (c) false
10) I have respected every coach I have played for.
(a) agree (b) somewhat agree (c) disagree
11) I usually compete best without the advice of others.
(a) true (b) in between (c) false
12) When I have ideas on how to improve performance, I....
(a) tell the coach (b) keep them to myself (c) tell teammates
13) I rarely share my problems with the coach.
(a) true (b) in between (c) false
14) When the coach is absent, I accept the leadership of the team captain or leader.
(a) always (b) often (c) sometimes
15) I believe that the coach is not always right.
(a) somethings (b) seldom (c) never
The above questions were extracted from the Athletic Motivation Inventory, a division of the Winslow Research Institute, San Jose, CA.
