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Intelligence, Competence, Courage, Character – IC3

This is an essay from the UC Premier Level 3 Curriculum course …  

We will be using this phrase in our player development messaging with our players and parents, on the web site, and throughout the club. As coaches, we want to develop these attributes within our players. The shorthand is “IC3“.

Intelligence requires an understanding of our principles and style of play. It also requires awareness of surroundings, imagination, and a skill set. We want to encourage our players to push against their limitations and provide them with tools that help them create an array of choices within the game and the understanding to decide within the time limitations imposed by opponents.

Competence – Our players must have the technical and physical ability to execute their decisions in the face of opposition and time constraints. Ball mastery is a foundation of our player development model.

Courage implies that as coaches we want to expose our players to challenging situations and provide them the physical, psychosocial, technical, and tactical skills that support decision making. We desire risk-taking and are willing to accept that not all risks will turn out successfully. We reward players who show bravery – physical, technical, tactical, and mental – within our playing environments (practices and games). Players (and coaches) make mistakes – through the process of reflection (self and guided), we want to help our players grow.

Character transcends the sport but it is exposed through sport. Working within a team environment, creating and working toward goals, being accountable, being able to win and lose gracefully, and representing themselves and the club are all elements of character development.