This article is written by our guest author Brooke Kennedy.

There are many regrettable recorded instances of coaches who have misused their position of power, failed because of poor communication skills and left a lasting effect on their athletes’ passion for a sport. 

In this extract adapted from Successful Coaching, this important issue is reflected on, before examining how choice of language and ‘effective praise’ can be vital tools for all coaches.

Whilst it’s clear that the physical rewards of trophies and titles confirms the success of an athlete and their coach, consistent communications towards athletes are underestimated sometimes.

Despite it being categorically true that the performance of the athlete leads to great successes, the strict coaching style presented may not be the reason for the athlete’s work drive. Positive approaches to athletes emphasize praise and rewards, while negative approaches use punishment and criticism to eliminate undesirable behaviors. However, being positive doesn’t mean that discipline is unnecessary in coaching. As a result, effective and corrective discipline is crucial to developing an athlete. Some forms of abusive or physical punishment has the long-term consequence of making it all but impossible for athletes to develop life skills and motivate them to achieve their potential. We should use this lesson to consider some of the unacceptable archaic punishments that coaches use, in misguided attempts to teach athletes a lesson.

The most important element of communicating effectively with your athletes is your credibility. Athletes’ level of belief and trust in your communication is a reflection of your credibility. Because of the prestigious role of being a coach, athletes will give you credibility from the start. From then on, coaches need to maintain and build this, based on their actions and communication.

What’s the correct way to do this? The answer is through effective praise.

Praise is key to an athlete’s progression, motivation and mindset – but, it is key to remember not all praise is effective praise. Whilst it may be tempting to consistently praise an athlete, this could lead to an over-confidence with them. Here are some tips on praising athlete’s successes in a constructive manner:

Remember that success comes from practice

An athlete works hard for the progress they make and acknowledging this encourages the athlete to continue striving for more – they will put in effort to improve even if it isn’t to a perfect standard.

Avoid ‘Outcome Praise‘

When praising an athlete, it’s hard not to acknowledge the outcomes of their efforts; however, this creates a mentality within athletes that they must continue to perform at this level which can put them under immense pressure.

While it may be a challenge to consciously stop yourself from saying “Good Job!” or “Need to see more of those”, you should aim to encourage progress within you athletes by saying something along the lines of “Great swim—that work on your flip turns has really paid off” providing the athlete insight on how they’ve progressed

Encourage and invite mistakes as part of an athlete’s progression

Ensure athletes know that making mistakes is okay and it helps them to learn. Mistakes challenge athletes to go out of their comfort zones and nurtures a positive growth mindset

Be open and understanding to an athlete’s feelings

Engaging personally with an athlete allows acceptance and understanding when the time calls for it. Athletes may typically feel a desire to consistently perform at a high level, so – following a less successful session – an athlete may need someone who is willing to be open and understanding of their frustrations.

While only a few steps on improving as a coach, might just be the most important ones to the athletes. 

Header photo by Pixabay