A recent blog focused on how to create a great practice environment. This blog, based on the work of Anders Ericsson identified four key features of purposeful practice, one of which is getting out of one’s comfort zone.

But what are comfort zones? Why do they exist? Why do we stay in them? How do we move out of them? Why would we want to?

Comfort zones are situations where one feels safe or at ease. In sports, it means performing in an anxiety-neutral condition or simply “cruising.” When athletes are cruising they use a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady performance, which is notably risk-free.

How often do your players appear to be cruising, in practice and in competition? Do you believe they are not trying or don’t care? How does that make you feel as a coach? How does this impact your behaviors? How do you respond? What do you say? What do you do?

Let’s put ourselves in the player’s shoes for a moment. Comfort zones exist for a reason. They are safe havens. There are a number of reasons why players choose to stay within their comfort zones.

One reason is the player’s level of self-belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations. A player’s perception of his or her own competence directly impacts their motivation and influences the challenges they choose to face.

Low self-esteem leaves players feeling vulnerable. We all know that sometimes the desire not to fail causes athletes to not even try. It might not necessarily be that players don’t want to get out of their comfort zones, but that they believe they can’t.

How do you help those players that genuinely they believe they cannot? What do you do with the practice environment and tasks to help them believe that they can? What behaviors do you exhibit and what words do you use to shore up their motivation and persuade them that they can?

Comfort zones should not be static; they should be moving targets. These targets should be reachable for the athlete, sometimes within arms reach and sometimes challenging them to stand on their toes and stretch as far as they can with their fingertips to reach it.

As players stretch beyond their comfort zone they will realize their goals and become comfortable again. At this point, players should seek to push themselves to a new level of discomfort. As coaches, we can help with that first stretch and with creating subsequent challenges.

Using SMART or MAGIC goals are critical to determining the level of stretch. Goals cannot be set until we know the player well. Coaches need to be clear on what players can currently do, what they want to do, what they feel they can do and what their motivation is.

Challenging players to move outside of their comfort zone will require the cultivation of a growth mindset, both theirs and yours. Create opportunities that stretch players. Encourage failure. Demand learning.

Create environments that set high expectations but offer high forgiveness. Use language with a positive intent. Consistently reinforce effort, not just ability or the outcome.

So, before we label the player as cruising or not trying or not interested, let’s think first as coaches about what we might have done to create that state. Then let us ask ourselves what we can do to help players move outside of their comfort zones.

Sarah McQuade is an independent coach education consultant, owner and director of e.t.c coaching consultants and co-director with The Coach Learning Group. To find out more about either company follow www.etccoachingconsultants.com or www.thecoachlearninggroup.com