Top 10 Coaching Techniques for Maximizing Athlete Performance
By: Bruce Smith
Submitted: 2009-06-12 23:21:02 | Word Count: 811
How do you correct your athletes without them loosing confidence in themselves? This is the real trick of coaching - knowing how to preserve your athletes' self confidence when you need to offer game performance feedback to them. Here is a list of ten methods for challenging your athletes while still maintaining their confidence.
1) Make it a "we feat with high intentions
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The best thing you can say to your athletes when they made a mistake is "I know your better than that." This one liner reinforces the belief that you have faith in their ability and that you know they are capable of performing at much higher level than what they are currently demonstrating. Then turn the challenge into a "we" goal that lets the athlete know that together you will tackle the problem. Making it a "we" challenge shows your athletes that you are willing to collaborate with them to help them improve.
2) Realize mistakes are not done on purpose
The mistakes players make are not done on purpose. Athletes want to play well, not only for themselves, but also for their coaches and teammates. Appreciating your players mistakes are not intentional can be challenging at times, but initially the best course of action is to support them and encourage them to correct it.
3) Empower players to play through mistakes
Although it is not always easy, a demonstrate your confidence in an athlete is to allow them to play through their errors. Give them a chance to self correct themselves within the game situation . Allowing athletes to self correct and learn from mistakes provides them with an opportunity to learn resiliency.
4) Excuse making should not be allowed
An athlete must take ownership for their success and failure, they must also take responsibility for the mistakes and own the corrective action. Taking responsibility for their success and failure develops a player's self-esteem and self-confidence. Taking responsibility for their errors demonstrates a high level of maturity and, after correction, boosts a player's confidence. The successes they own develops a deep foundational confidence level in their ability that they will need when the inevitable series of short falls comes along.
5) Keep it fact based and focused on the solution
Like the players, many times coaches get overwhelmed by the emotions of the moment. At times like these, the feedback is emotionally charged and can lead to statements the coaches wish they never said. Instead of focusing on the problem, help athletes focus on the solution.
6) Comment on the behavior, not the player
When giving criticism, make sure the target of it is the athlete's behavior and not the actual athlete themselves. Criticizing the behavior allows a person to keep their confidence intact because their behavior can be changed and corrected. If you focus on the person themself, they take it personally and feel humilated.
7) Surround the constructive criticism with positive statements
A player will become defensive and tune out the feedback if the coach is always finding fault in them. By surrounding the constructive feedback between positive statements, the player's defensives stay down and they are more objective in listening to the feedback.
8) Provide feedback in a one-on-one environment
Ever heard the phrase "Praise in public, criticize in private." When praising athletes in front of their peers, it does a lot to build their confidence. On the other hand, when you criticize athletes in public, you embarrass them in front of their peers and raise their defensive mechanism. An athlete's pride in their performance is the one thing you will be relying on when the going gets tough.
9) Remind them of their past successes and player strengths
Athletes can build their own self-confidence by focusing on their strengths and past successes. One of the best things a coach can do is to remind them of how successful they are and provide detailed examples of this success. Refocus your athletes on their strengths.
10) Always provide hope
When it comes to your players, you must adopt a mind set of hope. The last thing you would ever want them to do is to mentally quit. If a player ever senses you have given up on them, they will either give up on themselves or lose all respect for you and give up on you as a coach. A major factor in a player's confidence level comes from their belief that the coach has confidence in their athletic ability.
Author Resource:-Youth-Athlete provides resources for parents, coaches, and young athletes including suggestions and tips for coaches that enable a successful season and a community for open questions.
