How to Be a Leader in Sports

In many team sports, a respected leader or captain can help maximize team performance. Having a leader to provide direction and rally the team when it's needed is so important that many team sports have a designated team captain. At higher levels of competition, it's common to have several captains; for example, many professional football teams have multiple captains for both offense and defense. Even if your team doesn't have a designated captain, or if you're not assigned to be the team captain, you can still be a team leader on the field.

Instructions

    • 1

      Work to improve your skill level in your chosen sport. Team leaders need to gain respect from their teammates, and one of the best ways to do that is to excel at their chosen sport. If you're not skilled, other players are far less likely to look to you for support. If you play a skill position in a team sport, such a quarterback in football or point guard in basketball, it may be difficult to improve much simply by practicing more. If that's the case, seek out more experienced players to give you direction and push you to work harder, or if necessary, hire a coach to work with you.

    • 2

      Set a good example for the rest of your team. You should show up to practice on time, pay attention to the coach, and don't lose your temper or lash out at opponents or your teammates on the field.

    • 3

      Urge teammates to play hard. Compliment good plays, and be vocal on the field. Team sports benefit from having vocal leaders, and leaders must encourage good sportsmanship and maximum effort.

    • 4

      Help your teammates off the playing field when possible. You might, for example, give teammates advice on improving their ability to perform a certain skill. You might also help a teammate cool down and avoid getting penalized in a confrontation on the field.

    • 5

      Volunteer to assume a leadership roles when they're needed. This might include calling the coin flips, or helping when a team representative is needed by the referee regarding a matter of game play.