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, free for 7 days with a Proactive Coaching membership trial.
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