I was in Bermuda three weeks ago watching some of the Premier Division games, scouting and looking for new talent.

I saw some talent and players who have a great passion for the game but I'd agree with some that there's plenty of things our players have to improve in order to play at a higher level.

However, with that said I'm confident it could be done.

One things apparent to me was that players did not always have control of their emotions when things didn't go their way. This may be a minor thing in Bermuda, but a huge things at a higher level.

Players need to be made aware that lack of self-control could hinder their development and see many doors close in front of them. It will also hinder their achievements and overshadow their talents both on and off the field.

Players who have no control over their emotions during games spend most of their time arguing with referees' decisions or even worrying about what the fans have to say on the sidelines.

This impacts upon the job in hand and reduces their ability to perform and the likelyhood of their team getting a good result. Lack of control also hinders their consistency and some players will see a decline in productivity. Lack of control has a negative impact on positive thinking.

Coaches must stress self-control a great deal because players have many things going on outside the game which they are dealing with. Players may come to practice or games with many things on their minds, so as a coach it's your job to identify and help put the players' minds in the right direction.

If you can't control yourself and have not taken the time to develop your understanding of the personalities and characteristics of your players, then expect a long season of inconsistency and frustration with team and player performances.

Sometimes we as coaches lose control with the way we handle a situation and even the way we talk with players. To gain respect you must take more time to understand the players you have on your team.

Coaches could spend all the time teaching systems but the mind controls the body and that will never change. Teaching your players self control is crucial. Do not allow the aggressive mindset of the players disturb the beautiful game. Remember fans pay to watch players play and not for them to lose focus and be red carded or not performing due to other distractions.

Coaches must learn the D.I.S.C factor. Learn which of your players are Dominate, Influential, Steadiness and Compliance. Once you figure out these traits in the players, determine what percentage of them is needed on their team — Example: do they want 10 percent Dominate, 10 percent Influential, 20 percent Steadiness and 60 percent Compliance.

They also have to figure out what area they fall in. Having a clear picture of the types of players they have will make their job easier in terms of player discipline.

As players improve in this area their focus will be greater and they will achieve more. But coaches must be very careful because sometimes we tend to eliminate players because of our lack of patience with their development.

We must realise it takes time breaking bad habits and remember the younger the player the more control coaches must have when dealing with referees, staff and fans.

Both coaches and players need to understand the more time spent developing the mind the more focused and successful they will be.

It's amazing how much a player's self control on the field helps them off it.

Until next time!