Phew… the player with the bad attitude. It sounds like a serious sports cliché, but it’s true: They are like a cancer in the locker room, on the practice field/court, and in a game. They can make things difficult for all the athletes on the team with their constant disruptive behavior.

But believe it or not, it is possible to put an end to it, or at least slow it down, by setting some ground rules to start with. And it doesn’t hurt to involve the player’s parents in this as well. It takes a lot of energy to deal with players who have bad attitudes, but they can be turned around and the impact they have on the rest of the team can be significantly reduced.

Here are some tools for dealing with problem athletes:

o Set ground rules for players and parents – This is the first thing I would say to any coach, especially if they are coaching a community team rather than a school team. He would even do it if it was a school team he was training. Plan a parent meeting and expect everyone to be present.

At this meeting, you will explain to parents and players what behavior is expected of players and how they should conduct themselves on the practice field and when they play. This is very Coach Carter, but it is preached in many current athletic club guidelines: Coaches must take control of the team immediately.

It is important to lay the groundwork for: behavior, expectations, practices, games and the role of parents.

oTreat the player as an equal – If you try to patronize or worse, call out a player in front of their peers, you may not get the response you want. Talk to the player behind closed doors and have them take an active role in your team. Don’t speak ill of them.

oTalk to Team Leaders – By approaching Team Leaders, they may be able to persuade or have an effect on the behavior of players with attitude issues. Peer pressure is often the best pressure to put on people.

oGive player responsibility: take the player’s influence and turn it into something positive. Get them involved with a significant part of the team to try to generate positive interest in what the team is doing. You may be surprised at what they come up with.

oKeep Calm – Part of attitude is generating a response. Don’t let the player see that you are affected by what he is doing.