Athletes With the Formula for 
“Hard Work Equals Improvement”
On their Practice Shirts
Athletes With the Formula for “Hard Work Equals Improvement” On their Practice Shirts

Sport Psychology: T-Shirt Codes for Team Cohesiveness

Dick Moss, Editor

Is there a key phrase, motto or quote that conveys the philosophy of your team?  You can reinforce that philosophy by shortening the phrase into an acronym or formula and printing it on t-shirts your athletes can wear during warmups and even to class.

The shirts will then carry a secret code that's a private reminder of your team philosophy. The fact the message is understood by team members only is an effective way to build team cohesiveness. Coach and author Jim Thompson calls it “creating a team vocabulary.”

Examples
While coaching a girls' high school basketball team in the mid-90's, Jim Thompson used the formula S = E/T, which stood for Success comes from Effort over Time. He used the formula on t-shirts, practice jerseys and bulletins to players and parents. It showed that he valued hard work and patience, which acted as a guiding light for every player, even those less talented.

The formulas and acronyms you can use are unlimited.

References:
1. Daniel Levi, Group Dynamics for Teams, 3rd Edition, SAGE Publications, Inc., 2010.
2. Jim Thompson, Shooting in the Dark, Warde Publishers, 1998.



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