Positive Charting



Positive Charting is simple - but not necessarily easy. It requires effort, the effort to observe. As Yogi Berra is reported to have said, "It's amazing what you can see if you look."

Positive Charting in the real world:
"I coached a group of 13- and 14-year-old softball players. At the beginning of the season, the only team these girls could beat was themselves. So after one mediocre game, I sat the girls down on the bench and instead of reading them the riot act, I took to heart the positive charting idea. I emphasized all the positive aspects of the game they played just to show these girls that they were capable of doing some positive things. I did this after each game from then on, win or lose. Wouldn't you know it, this same rag-tag team of girls lost the last game of the season, the city championship game, by one run (to a team that annihilated them by 12 runs in the first game of that season). Thanks to positive charting, and the other ideas in Positive Coaching, I turned my career around!"

John C. in Ohio (coach renewed)

Positive Charting Directions
As coaches we tend to think that we add value by finding things that are done incorrectly and improving them. But it is equally important to find things that are being done correctly and to reinforce them. Positive Charting is a method for increasing the number of "right things" that your players do. It also creates a wonderful positive atmosphere in which players are more receptive to being corrected because they feel appreciated. Effective Positive Charting helps you reach the Magic 5:1 ratio, which best keeps players' Emotional Tanks full.

Here's how Positive Charting works:
  1. Write the name of each player in a box on the Positive Charting Form. If there is a specific action you want to look for with that player (for example, hustling back on defense, blocking out for rebounds) write it in the space marked "Look-For."
  2. Look for the positive things players do. Whenever you see one, jot a note under the player's name. (Over time you'll develop your own shorthand. The key is to write enough so you'll remember it when you get to step #5 below.) Remember to look for the team-building things that players do to encourage each other as well as their physical actions.
  3. Make sure you have about the same number of comments (3-5 is good) for each player. You may have to look hard with some players. And you may have to limit the number of comments for the advanced players. Be disciplined: at the end of the game you should have 3-5 items for each player.
  4. Be honest. Don't be tempted to make something up or write something that isn't true about any player. This is the hard part - you have to find something positive about each player. It may be a small thing, but you can find it if you look hard enough.
  5. At your next practice, begin with a quick team meeting in which you review your positive charting with your team. Take each player in turn and share with the group the positives. This should take no more than 30 seconds or so per player. Enjoy the positive energy of your players during practice.
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