Doyle's

Having coached many years of high school softball, 18 and under summer teams as well as Women’s Major Slow Pitch Softball, I have learned a great deal about the psychology of coaching. As an athlete I have also had to learn, not just the game, but what qualities comprise a great coach. Certainly an expert knowledge of the game is imperative. More importantly is the ability of the coach to lead by understanding the psychology of coaching athletes.

The Adventure of Coaching

It is the seventh inning. Two outs and the winning run on third. The batter steps into the box. One hit will score the needed run and bring the team a national slow pitch championship. One swing the bat is what the crowd is waiting to see. It finally comes down to one swing of the bat.

Whatever the batter does, although important to the fans, is only one small link in the chain created and designed by the team’s coach. Many will measure this important person, the coach, by the outcome of this tense moment, but a victory or defeat. But most are unaware that this person’s success is determined by many more factors both physical and psychological. He or she has been dealing with these factors over a long period of time.

A victory or a defeat in a championship game does not make a successful or unsuccessful coach. This article examines the true elements of a successful coach. An effective coach is a motivator, an advisor, a natural psychologist. Although she or he is well trained in the rules and strategies of the game or developed the athletes to peak physical performance, we cannot ignore the psychological realm of coaching. As Robert Singer says in his book Coaching, Athletics, and Psychology, “The coaches job is 20% technical and 80% inspirational.”

SUCCESSFUL OR UNSUCCESSFUL?

What separates a successful coach from an unsuccessful one is the knowledge and application of psychology in coaching. The coach must treat his or her players as individuals, yet can unite all those individuals into a cohesive unit that works together for personal and team excellence.  To achieve this he or she must communicate and motivate affectively. In order to understand how valuable these psychological principles are to coaching the following ideas are discussed in detail:

• Coach’s awareness of the athlete as an individual
• Coach’s ability to create team cohesion
• Coach as communicator
• Coach as motivator.

Coach’s Awareness of Individual Athlete in the Psychology of Coaching

The coach must not only be concerned with the physical and skill development of the athlete but must be aware of the individual athlete’s personality traits in order to achieve maximum performance from the players. Knowing the players as persons, the coach is able to guide each player to reach full capabilities and utilize talents for the good of the team.

First of all, a successful coach is dedicated to developing a positive relationship with each player. When a coach is sensitive to an individual athletes needs, the athlete is very aware of this. This awareness is a very positive factor in developing a strong coach athlete relationship. It builds trust Anselm Strauss in Psychology of Sport explains the coach-athlete relationship this way:

… it requires a relationship of complete mutual trust so they both may take personal risks….. The mutual trust must be such that an identification can take place between the two, when they can be best described as a form of love relationship. It is a merging of egos in which the coach can psychologically train the developing athlete surpass him or her self…

TUTKO AND RICHARDS TAKE

In order that the coach can develop this important feeling of trust with all players, he or she must be knowledgeable on the different personality types that she or he will be confronted with that particular season.  Tutko and Richards attempt to assist the coach in understanding personality in their book Psychology of Coaching state that it is difficult to talk about the personality of an athlete in a singular way but there are traits that each athlete possesses to varying degrees. The different traits and the degree to which each athlete possess is that trait determines uniqueness.  Tutko and Richards divide athletes’ personality traits into two general areas:

EMOTIONAL FACTORS
Coachability Emotionality Self-confidence Mental toughness Responsibility Trust Conscience development

Increasing Trust

Knowing these traits and what they mean is not enough. The coach must focus on assessing the degree that each individual athlete possesses these characteristics, to really know that person. Tutko and Richards state that:

“It is crucial that “the handling of any athlete goes well beyond the molding of words. It involves more specifically the behavior of the coach, which shows a perception of, an interest in, and a genuine concern for the athlete.”

The athlete will respond positively to this feeling of genuine concern.

This coach athlete relationship is a unique situation. The coach must be conscious of the individual and develop trust by dealing with each situation that arises with a strong sensitivity to the uniqueness of person.  As Susan Dorcas Butt states in her book Psychology of Sport, “Without an emotional relationship the coach could not invest deeply enough in the athlete, and without a deep trust in the coach, the athlete could not have enough faith to make the necessary sacrifices that bring achievement and success. Therefore, a coaches success hinges on the ability to deal with the individual and athlete and the development of a strong coach athlete relationship based on trust.

Creating Team Cohesion

We have discussed in detail the problem of dealing with the individual. Once the coach deals with the awareness of the individual the challenge becomes inspiring these individuals to play as one. This will be one of the most difficult tasks the coach has to face. Here she or he will have to cope with many players who will have a difficult time sacrificing their desires for the good of the team.

Very often a player may have to play a position he or she does not desire or perhaps not playing a game at all. This resulting attitude towards the situation must be dealt with very seriously by the coach. The player must make an emotional investment in the team concept and believe the team success is more important than personal success. To have a truly cohesive group, each person must be willing to know their contribution to the team matters, no matter what their role within the group. Of course not to the point of being satisfied sitting on the bench, but to the degree of placing the welfare of the team ahead of personal goals.

What Makes a Champion?

This quality of cohesion is the core of the champion and therefore, the coach must spend countless hours developing this crucial character characteristic of the team. To achieve unity the coach must make each player aware of their own dynamic role on the team. Even more importantly, the coach must demonstrate to the player and to his or her teammates that this approach is a valuable link in team success. 

The athletes must know that their feelings are being considered. Also it is important that they are recognized for any sacrifice they may make for the sake of the team. It is necessary that fellow players are also aware of each other’s responsibilities. Recognition of the contributions of others is essential to strong team unity.

To enhance cohesiveness the coach must be honest and fair. Therefore, he or she must be truthful with players, though sometimes sadly, in assessing an athletes rule or talent. She or he must be realistic and honest and selling common goals for the team. Most importantly fairness must exist in the treatment of the athletes. Players need to feel they are being given an equal opportunity to become a starter or to play when the situation presents itself.

Coach as Communicator!

Treating the athlete as an individual and developing group cohesiveness will be greatly dependent on the coaches effectiveness in the area of communication. Communication is a significant vehicle that the coach will implement to achieve goals. As Fuos and Troppmann state in their book Effective Coaching: A Psychological Approach “numerous studies have revealed at approximately 70 to 80% of a managers time in business, industry and government is spent in some form of communication… It is likely that many coaches spend as much time communicating as two other middle managers.”

Since much time is spent using the skill the coach must realize it’s psychological importance it is not enough to realize certain players need special forms of communication it must be provided. The methods of handling individuals to fit their special psychological needs is as important as the techniques of teaching athletic skills to conform to the individuals physical abilities (Richards and Tutko)

A coach must not only be concerned with instructing individuals and team on skills, strategy and game plans, but also receiving properly the feedback given to the coach by the team.

Along with communicating intellectual concepts inherent in the game, the coaches an even greater task in using communication skills to solve personality conflicts, to deal with personal inner team conflicts and to motivate his team to excel. Tutko and Richard suggest several “flexible styles” of communication and handling athletes. The styles are flexible in that certain situations will call for one style or another. The vehicles of communication they suggest are:  humor, calm, excitement and positive anger.  

Every person needs effective communication skills. The coach is no exception. In fact because of the unique situation and challenges faced good communication skills are demanded. Effective communication skills to teach, and if desired champions, to motivate.

Check Back Soon for “Coach as Motivator”

•  
•