The 2 Cs in a team:Coach and Captain

Came across this summary of an article written by Mr.Peter Tann, a qualified rugby coach and sports psychologist.He wrote these for 'Rugby Coach':

Not only is the captain a player, he is a leader, communicator, key decision maker, and important link between the team and coach, as well as the referee on match day. The captain must be competent in their playing role and inspire confidence in their players, whether through their playing ability, decision making, or tactical skills.

1. Each captain is different – There is no one set of characteristics possessed by effective captains.

2. Mental strength – All captains should be mentally strong. They need to remain focused under pressure during a game. They need to be able to handle criticism, including from team mates.

3. Excellent communicator – The captain needs to encourage and manage on-field and off-field communication between many groups: the players, the coaching staff, and officials.

4. Emotional discipline – (i) The captain is a role model. (ii) If the captain loses self-control he may lose the ability to make rational decisions. (iii) Loss of emotional control may be seen as a sign of weakness by the opposition.

5. Knows the players – The captain should have the ability to deal with each player as an individual.

6. Self-confident – A self-confident captain inspires confidence in others. It also helps him maintain his own performance when the “going gets tough”.

Having captained teams before,I would say there's a lot of truth in those words.But with all these said,its best to experience those yourself!

On a side note,I had a wonderful time with Aaron today!Went out shopping and got myself a duffel bag!Wahahaha!A pity though I didnt manage to get any shoes to go with my pants.