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# How do I raise my team's competitive spirit?
- URL: https://www.proactivecoaching.ai/raise-competitive-spirit/
- Published: 2026-08-07T03:09:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T04:44:50.000Z
- Description: Raise competitive spirit by teaching it: Bruce Brown says being a competitor is a choice — coach the 13 traits of elite competitors, trait by trait.
- Author: Bruce Brown
- Tags: qa, Team Culture

Treat competitiveness as a choice you teach, not a personality trait you hope to recruit. Bruce Brown's teaching is direct: being a competitor is a decision that becomes a lifestyle, and just telling athletes to be competitive won't make it happen — they need to understand the process, mentality, and actions of competing well. Start by naming the traits of an elite competitor and coaching them one at a time: passion, a strong will, mental toughness, controlling the controllables, confidence based on preparation, unselfishness, and relentlessness. Then protect your example-setters. Brown teaches that one true competitor elevates everyone around them and the entire culture of a team.

## Why isn't my team competitive in games?

Often because they are competing not to lose. Brown observes that athletes who see losing as failure sacrifice the natural joy of competing; their whole focus sits on the final score. Shift the measure: teach your team to separate performance from outcome and measure every game against their potential, not the scoreboard.

## Can you teach an athlete to be a competitor?

Yes. Brown is explicit that being a competitor does not depend on gender, sport, or genetics — it is a choice and a decision. Wanting it is not enough, though. Your athletes need the process, mentality, and actions of competing taught to them, trait by trait, before you demand it in games.

## How do you build competitive spirit in practice?

Give them a vision to compete against. Brown teaches that coaches and athletes should share a picture of how good they can become, then compete every day against that vision, not just opponents. Competitors don't save it for the game — their motor is running when the whistle blows. Expect that readiness daily.

That is the what — the how, every trait with reflection questions for your athletes, is in [Compete: Traits of an Elite Competitor](https://www.proactivecoaching.ai/compete-traits-of-an-elite-competitor/), free for 7 days with a [Proactive Coaching membership trial](https://www.proactivecoaching.ai/pricing/).