NBA Championship Coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers emphasizes to his team the need for Next Play Speed (NPS). This is the time it takes an athlete to transition from a great, or horrible, play to be present for the very next play. Athletes versed in positive self-talk and mindfulness understand the concept of “Be where your feet are!” If the game is over, your mind should not be on field, it should be where your feet are literally, now. Dr. Ken Ravizza, top sport psychologist, was famous for having a literal toilet in his team’s dugout to stimulate them flushing down their negative thoughts down the toilet, never to revisit. These are great individual concepts to commit to memory and utilize. How do coaches transfer these skills effectively to their players and team, immediately following a loss?

Let’s be clear, there is no one panacea on how to deal with a loss, especially a tough loss. There is no one approach that will solve all difficulties and woes; however, there is a protocol of best practices that can give a coach a protocol on how to be prepared to deal with this type of adversity (McCarthy, 2025; Stankovich, 2011; Wergin et al., 2019). Protocols can vary, but these four points should exist within any protocol that addresses the aftermath of a bad loss: 1) Post Game Reaction – Immediate Reaction; 2) Preparation for Next Practice; 3) Putting the Preparation into Practice; 4) Positive Proclamation of Past Success.

Before we construct a protocol, we must recognize that all losses are not the same. The variables to include into a protocol poised for success should consider the type of loss, age and cognitive ability, league level, and other variables that may be germane only to your institution, organization, team, and university.

All Losses are Not the Same:

In-Game

1. How to do an In-game loss pep talk

   1. Boxer gets knocked down in the first round

   2. Goalie gives up a score in the first minutes of the 1st period

   3. A long jumper fouls their first three attempts

   4. In game adjustments (e.g., halftime)

   5. Team loses the first game of a multi-game day tournament or doubleheader.

Freak Loss

2. A Win that feels like a Loss 

   1. Teams that almost squandered, where the win almost feels like a loss.

3. Stolen Loss

   1. Think of the 1972 USA Men’s Basketball Team that was robbed of a gold Medal due to controversial officiating at the Olympic Games.

   2. Roy Jones Jr. in the 1988 Olympic Games. One of the most controversial decisions in International Boxing History, where the judges manipulated the scoring to favor the Korean boxer.

4. Tough Loss

   1. A football team loses on a Hail Mary touchdown pass in the final seconds of the game.

   2. 2024 Olympics: Men’s 100m race when both runners, Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson run a 9.79. A photo finish that creates sports heartbreak.

   3. Think of Rivalries (e.g., Yankees v. Red Sox; Ohio State v. Michigan; Duke v. UNC; Packers v. Bears; Real Madrid v. Barcelona; Ali v. Frazier; Women’s International Hockey competition between USA v. Canada). The loser of these contests may have to wait a month to four years for a rematch.

Non-Traditional Loss

5. First Loss after a Big Winning Streak or Beginning of Season 

   1. Your team is not used to losing, how do they respond? How do you rebuild them immediately?

Regular Loss

6. Average Loss

   1. How does the coach express disappointment in the outcome but definitive hope for the future.

 Serious 

7. Bad Loss

   1. When a team is upset and loses to inferior competition. In the NCAA collegiate tournaments (e.g., basketball, baseball, softball, or wrestling) a higher seed loses to lower seed. 

8. Personal Loss- Let the team down / outside of the game / lose a player 

   1. How to address when a player lets his team down with his/her selfish behavior or overall unreadiness?

   2. Team wins but loses a valuable player. How do we talk about the next man up routine?

   3. Team wins, but a player loses because he misses the funeral of his uncle or the birth of his child or misses a season due to pregnancy.

   4. The team has to regroup after a player, or coach has been killed or seriously injured.

9. Consecutive Losses (i.e., losing streak)

   1. How to keep the confidence up and not lose team morale.

Crisis Level 1 

10. Elimination Loss

    1. These hurt because there is not an immediate tomorrow and the dream has died.

Crisis Level 2

11. Championship Loss (e.g., No one wins silver)

    1. This is difficult because the higher the air, the harder and longer the fall for the team. To get so close to a dream and have it snatched away is the pain that remains a lifetime. What does a coach say at this time, especially when they have emotions also?

Post Game Reaction

The type of loss will dictate how we proceed to the initial step in the Bounce Back Protocol The concept of A.I.M. was presented earlier for speech delivery immediately following a loss (Ford & Amoasi, 2026). Coaches, quickly, need to Acknowledge, Interpret, and Move forward. This acronym should serve as the guide as you consider the age and cognitive level of the players (e.g., little league (Age 3-13); High School (14-18); Elite Level (14-18); Collegiate (17-28); Olympic (12-58); Professional (13-50); Casual/Recreational (18+ adults) (Stankovich, 2011). Other factors to consider are factors such as, but not limited to, 1) team or individual sport; 2)is this a club sport or a Power Four conference collegiate team; 3) is this a special assembled team (e.g., World Cup, Olympics) or a team with extended contractual players (e.g., WNBA, MLS) or a Tavern League that plays for fun and pride.

Coaches, quickly, need to Acknowledge, Interpret, and then Move Forward. This should be the guide when considering the speech to utilize

• How much time has elapsed between end of game and speech?

• Do we speak from the heart or do quick write-up?

• Do we say nothing and let the silence be the dominant voice?

• Have you crafted a powerful opening comment?

• The post-game speech should be limited to three quick points.

• Have you carefully crafted a though provoking end statement?

• Do we go straight to players or confer with other coaches on staff?

• Is the speech to the entire team, to select group of players, or one on one with team leader?

• How do we take personal accountability and not engage in the blame game rhetoric? 

• Is there another person who should give this speech (the rare occasion)?

• What is the take home message you want delivered to the team?

• Do you have a contingency plan for athletes who may be the target of emotional abuse (and real threats) how to deal with the media and fans on social media?

• Consider how to recover from a bad Post Game speech that makes the situation worse. (e.g., eliminate cookie cutter or duplicate speeches, apologize to team to model emotional intelligence and maturity, and understand when it is time to resign/retire if words are out of touch where you lose or create a schism within the team.

Preparation for Next Practice

The speech is the tip of the iceberg; it brings an immediate band-aid to the larger problem. A speech alone, even if powerful, will not solve the issue. The speech is the Acknowledge in the AIM acronym. We need to Acknowledge the pain and the truth. The next phase of the bounce back protocol is the I in the AIM acronym: Interpret. How can you solve a problem, if you do not know the true etiology of the problem? We interpret a situation by breaking down the good, the bad, and the ugly. The first step is to diagnose the problem by determining: a) the type of loss we have sustained; b) what cognitive level we are dealing with; and c) what is the level of the competition and the stakes on the line.

Top Tools for the Interpret Toolbox

• Topics covered in post-game speech should lead the discussion

  • The post-game speech becomes only ceremonial if the issues discussed do not have significant follow-up.

• Watch the game film 

  • Our emotions can keep us from seeing the game in totality.  A proper breakdown allows us to properly Interpret the situations. A slow analysis allows us to fully capture the good, the bad, and the ugly.

• Guest speaker

  • No, not just another speech, but a person for the moment. This can be an alumnus/alumna of the team that has gone through a similar experience or an outside voice that brings a different level of calm and objectivity.

• Consider changes

  • What did we learn from the tape? Sometimes the plan was good, we just did not implement with a high level of fidelity. Sometimes the plan needed to be tweaked. Sometimes we recognize the game plan was not good and it needs to be overhauled. Sometimes we recognize that different players need to be inserted to ensure these changes are implemented.

• Learn the proper protocol to write an appeal

  • When doing an appeal for horrendous officiating, administrators and coaches must understand the legal dos and don’ts (e.g., proper protocol, time constraints, financial investment) along with potential backlash from other competitors.

Put the Preparation into Practice

The layman’s definition of insanity is to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results. Mark Twain stated, “having the ability to read provides zero advantage if you choose not to use it.” The M is the AIM acronym is to Move forward. I’ve seen it over and over again, where a coach takes the time to create new ideas and strategies. They give the rhetorical assurance that voices have been heard and changes will be made. Yet, when it comes time to pull the trigger, they get cold feet and revert to a comfortable system that has proven ineffective. And the status quo remains. When coaches are stuck in this cycle, we give three ways to positively create inertia:

• Consult with other coaches and mentors to help provide assurance and guidance

• Start with small changes to build confidence and momentum

• Announce the changes to media to hold yourself accountable

There is an axiom which states, “if you do not evolve, you will become extinct!” Many coaches have been fired or lost their reputation because of out-of-control egos and inability to adapt in real time. Coaches who have performance coaches can utilize these resources to help self-reflect and understand why they persist in self-sabotaging behaviors. The irony is that the behaviors that make us successful can be the same reason for our downfall. The virtue of belief in self that allows one to ascend to the top of the mountain, can become the vice that allows one to plummet to the bottom because they fail to recognize the need for help and self-introspection. Conversely, overthinking and second guessing may lead one into paralysis by analysis. The formula for Move is to Think-Create-Consult-Act.

Positive Proclamation of Post-Game Success

After we had a positive post-game speech. After we did our preparation. After we implemented our changes successfully. It is time to pull our target from the bullseye and celebrate our perfect AIM. Why celebrating success is important:

• Validates the hard work you put into creating and implementing the protocol

• Increases the credibility for the next time you must employ the Bounce-back protocol

• Provides athletes with a bounce back protocol to deal with losses on and off the field

“What is delayed, is not denied.”- Coach Dawn Staley

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat” -Winston Churchill

“I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”- Michael Jordan

“Champions keep playing, until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King

“Victory is the sweetest when you’ve known defeat.” -Malcolm Forbes

References

Ford, K. & Amoasi, K.R. (2026, August). Words after a loss: The most important speech you have to give. Homebase.

McCarthy, P. (2025, August 17). How to handle pressure in sport: A pro athlete’s mental toughness guide. Dr Paul McCarthy | Sport Psychologist Dealing with Loss in Sport: A Complete Guide to Recovery

Wergin, V. V., Mallett, C. J., Mesagno, C., Zimanyi, Z., & Beckmann, J. (2019). When you watch your team fall apart – Coaches’ and sport psychologists’ perceptions on causes of collective sport team collapse. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1331. doi.org 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6581729/pdf/fpsyg-10-01331.pdf

Stakovich,C. (2011, December 29). Quick tips for coaches to help after a loss. https://drstankovich.com/

https://drstankovich.com/qucik-tips-for-coaches-to-help-the-team-after-a-loss/