We often hear people discuss the personalities or character traits of different coaches. Their are all kinds of "coaching types" and one in particular, the "old time" coach is often used to describe some who coaches or rules with an iron fist. Someone who is generally very task oriented, harsh, loud and motivates by the threat of consequences.
When it comes to our sports culture today, I would argue that some of fear is often still the primary driver at every level of play among coaches trying to motivate performance. It’s really time for this to change. Making someone feel bad about themselves doesn't make them generally want to play and work hard for anyone in a leadership position, whether at work, in the classroom or on the field of play.There still remain too many examples of an all too familiar narrative: a coaching style that neglects encouragement and motivates from fear. For anyone involved in any form of competitive sport, how often have we witnessed some form of a coach trying to push an athlete to perform by using some type of last minute coach-speak along the lines of; “This is your opportunity to turn your season around, don’t screw it up!” Anyone who has seen me coach, would probably say that I may in fact be too soft, that I don't push my athlete's enough, or motivate them to do what is required by using negative consequences to get the best out of them. However, it my opinion, ironically, coaches do a disservice to athletes when their primary motivational tactic is fear. I am sure there are some many different schools of thought about coaching to support a coaching method that elevates encouragement but sometimes common sense works just as well. This may come as a surprise to most people, but athletes are pretty normal in this regard. With this normality comes the shared human experience of having a fear of failure. Piling on more fear only makes the burden of failure that much heavier. What if coaches worked to eliminate fear instead of adding to it? In my current coaching role, one that I have held for 16 years now in which I work which individuals who are moving from being teenagers into young adulthood, my beliefs and values are rooted in the ideal that my athletes, should choose to do the the right thing, make the right choices, not because they are forced to, or scared into doing so, but simply because it is what is required for them to perform at their best, reach their potential and ultimately, achieve their personal and individual goals. I constantly talk to them about individual accountability, about making sure to take responsibility for their actions. If the ultimate goal is optimal level of play, we need to admit that sometimes fear is a helpful motivator. An athlete’s fear of failure does not need to be reinforced with more fear tactics. Instead, helpful coaching and encouragement to get them over this fear so they can play at an optimal level would be much more effective to bring about the results coaches want. If a coach knows their athlete well and believes they will respond positively in the moment to being motivated by fear, I believe that is fine. But, some questions I would ask if this is the case. Would the athlete agree that was the best way to motivate them at that time? Is this a circumstantial exception or the norm? Does the coach have the player’s good in mind as an athlete AND as a human? There is a time and a place where fear is an appropriate means of motivating, but what my experience has taught me is that most of the time fear gets wielded as a weapon, not as an instrument of change. When coaches find themselves feeling unable to influence a group or that their message isn't getting through, they might often fall back on the tactic of coaching by fear and consequence. One simple example I often use when giving presentation on coaching; how often do we hear about coaches sending player to run laps or having them do sprints as punishment for some sort of breach in team rules, or lack of effort in practices. This might work in very specific cases because let's be honest, athletes want to play the game that is their sport, not just run to run. However, if this is the default position every time something goes wrong, the athletes will associate the running with punishment. However, fitness, running to get fit, is an important part of being a successful athlete and should seen a required part of training not something you only do when you are being punished. So why do some coaches feel the need to rely on fear? One of the most challenging realities for coaches is the fact that the evaluation if their coaching ability depends on the performance of the athletes they coach. For the vast majority of coaches, those not coaching at the top of the profession but coaching youth sport being able to continue coaching and maybe move up the competitive ladder, relies on the hands and feet of girls and boys less than 20 years old, in essence kids. If you do not win early and often, you are out and your replacement is in. That is scary. Coaching is a dangerous profession to enter into for an individual who struggles with insecurity. Why? People who are insecure are constantly looking for validation from others. A quick google search of specific coaches show you what they are ultimately measured by—the amount of wins and losses they have accrued over the years. For someone who struggles with insecurity, the win-loss record becomes an extension of their identity. Thus, when the team struggles or individual athletes under perform, they have a tendency to lash out. One of the quickest ways to feel better about yourself is to make someone else feel small. A good question for anyone to ask when they motivate out of fear: Am I acting this way because this person just made me look bad or am I really trying to get the most out of this person? I’m concerned that using fear reflects the sad reality that many coaches lack the ability to control their emotions in the moment. This is unfortunate. Athletes don’t get a free pass for being out of control on the field. Likewise, coaches should not get a free pass for uncontrolled outbursts under the guise of motivation. I have been involved in sports at some level for the past 25+ years. One thing I have noticed is most coaches who motivate their athletes by fear are not trying to motivate at all, they are unloading their own anger issues at the easiest target. hile insecurity and immaturity use fear reactively, the desire to leverage power over a vulnerable athlete is often a proactive tactic. Every coach in authority over a player—especially in non-professional environments—understands intuitively that he or she has power over that player. Being on the team at all, playing time, and overall experience within the team is entirely controlled by the coach. Often, players feel powerless to “fight back” when they are being verbally, emotionally, or even physically abused by a coach. This is not only dangerous, but arguably also evil. It may produce wins in the short term but at what expense over time? You have an opportunity as someone who has been given stewardship over an athlete to help them move beyond their fear of failure. We are surrounded by a sports culture that places a premium on fear tactics. Encouragement, support, positive reinforcement are much more powerful motivators than fear. We need to stop equating support and encouragement with participation trophies and orange slices at halftime. Studies consistently show that athletes who play free perform better. If study after study shows athletes whose play is guided by a fear of failure are actually more likely to fail, we need to wise up! When people are involved especially at the youth sport level, the important thing is to encourage kids to stay in sport, to learn how to compete in positive and exciting environments. In today's reality, our youth have some many options that the minute they don't enjoy one activity they will move onto another. Our role as coaches, is of course to teach the sport, to teach them about winning and losing, but also to develop autonomy and confidence. I would rather be know as a supportive, positive minded coach, than someone willing to win at all costs. but that is just me......
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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