Summary of Coaching Guidelines
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Reactive Coaching Behaviors: Responding to Athlete Behaviors and Game Situations
Good
Plays
Do: Provide reinforcement!! Do so immediately. Let the athletes know that you appreciate
and value their efforts. Reinforce
effort as much as you do results.
Look for positive things, reinforce them, and you will see them
increase. Remember whether children
show it or not, the positive things you say and do remain with them. Don’t: Take their efforts for granted.
Mistakes, Screw-Ups, Boneheaded Plays, and All the Things the Pros Seldom Do Do: Give encouragement immediately after mistakes.
That’s when the youngster needs your support the most.
If you are sure the athlete knows how to correct the mistake,
then encouragement alone is sufficient.
When appropriate, give corrective instruction, but always
do so in an encouraging manner. Do
this by emphasizing not the bad things that just happened, but the good
things that will happen if the player follows your instruction (the
“why” of it). This will make the athlete positively self-motivated
to correct the mistakes rather than negatively motivated to avoid failure
and your disapproval. Don’t: Punish when things are going
wrong!! Punishment isn’t just yelling. It can be any indication of disapproval:
tone of voice, or action. Athletes
respond much better to a positive approach.
Fear of failure is reduced if you work to reduce fear of punishment. Don’t: Give corrective instruction in a hostile
or harsh manner. That is, avoid punitive
instruction. This is more likely
to increase frustration and create resentment than to improve
performance. Don’t let your good
intentions in giving instruction be self-defeating. |
Misbehaviors. Lack of Attention Do: Maintain order by establishing clear
expectations. Emphasize that during a
contest all members of the team are part of the activity, even those on the
bench. Use reinforcement to
strengthen team participation. In
other words, try to prevent misbehaviors by using the positive approach to
strengthen their opposites. Don’t Get into
the position of having to constantly nag or threaten athletes in order to
prevent chaos. Don’t be a drill
sergeant. If an athlete refuses to
cooperate, deprive him or her of something valued. Don’t use physical measures, such as running laps. The idea here is that if you establish
clear behavioral guidelines early and work to build team spirit in achieving
them, you can avoid having to repeatedly keep control. Youngsters want clear guidelines and
expectations, but they don’t want to be regimented. Try to achieve a healthy balance.
Spontaneous Coaching Behaviors: Getting Positive Things to Happen and Creating a Good Learning Atmosphere Do: Give technical instruction. Establish your role as a caring and
competent teacher. Try to structure
participation as a learning experience in which you are going to help the
athletes develop their abilities.
Always give instruction in a positive fashion. Satisfy your athletes’ desire to become
the best they can be. Give
instruction in a clear, concise manner and, if possible, demonstrate how to
do it. Do: Concentrate on the activity. Be “in the game” with the athletes. Set a good example for team unity. Don’t: Give either instruction or encouragement
in a sarcastic or degrading manner.
Make a point, then leave it.
Don’t let “encouragement” become irritating to the athletes.
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