Sport- Coaching Style
Issues Influencing My Decisions When Coaching
Personality
One of the issues that determine my governing principles is personality. Understanding an athlete’s personality is essential when making decisions during coaching because I must ensure that the coaching style I use aligns with the athlete’s personality. For example, I must identify personality traits that can impact an athlete’s response to my coaching style. The main traits that may affect my coaching style include consistency, achievement-orientedness, competitiveness, and lack of self-confidence. As a coach, I need to use a coaching style that motivates athletes who are not consistent and those who lack the self-confidence to stay committed to improving their skills by attending training sessions. I can also use a coaching style that supports competition among the athletes during training to encourage achievement-oriented and competitive athletes to participate in the training sessions. Personality is also important in determining how to handle athletes after they lose a game to keep them motivated. Are you interested in obtaining help on your assignment ? Reach out to us.
Rapport
Establishing rapport with the athletes is important in coaching because it facilitates effective communication and makes it easier for athletes to express their concerns about the coaching style and the team’s performance. I focus on establishing rapport with all the athletes to create a high-quality relationship where employees can exchange ideas on improving the team’s performance. According to Nicholls & Perry (2016), relationship quality may be determined based on the athlete’s happiness. I ensure that employees are happy by addressing their concerns, helping them meet their goals, and involving them in decision-making. However, establishing rapport is sometimes challenging, especially when an athlete does not respect other athletes and the team’s rules. This affects my relationship with the athlete and may force me to be strict and use a controlling coaching style. A controlling style includes using coercive, authoritarian, and threatening methods to impose ideas on athletes without considering their emotions and perspectives (Hu et al., 2023). The controlling style is vital in demanding respect from ignorant athletes who may feel better than others.
Readiness
An athlete’s readiness to be part of the team and improve their skills is important in determining the appropriate coaching style. I take my time to understand the athlete’s readiness based on their discipline during training sessions and compliance with the team’s regulations. Determining an athlete’s readiness is essential in selecting the coaching style and determining how to motivate an athlete. For example, athletes with high readiness do not require the same level of motivation as those who have less readiness because they have the self-drive to acquire the skills needed to perform well and contribute to the team’s success. I may also have to be strict on athletes with less readiness to avoid wasting time coaching athletes who may not be part of the team for a long time. Determining an athlete’s level of readiness is also essential in load monitoring. According to Paul et al. (2021), load monitoring helps improve an athlete’s readiness for training and minimizes the risk of non-functional illness, injury, or overreaching. Therefore, it is essential to keenly observe an athlete’s behaviour for effective load monitoring.
Age
Age affects an athlete’s overall fitness, thus influencing their performance. Therefore, it is important to know an athlete’s age to make proper decisions about the number of hours an athlete should spend in training. I also use the athlete’s ages to understand and predict their behaviour, thus maintaining a good relationship with all the athletes. For example, younger athletes may not respond to failure the same way as older employees and may be impatient in achieving their athletics-related goals. Younger employees may also be reluctant to follow instructions, especially if they feel they are better than other athletes. Therefore, I may use a commanding style when dealing with younger athletes and a participative style with older athletes who are more willing to listen, follow instructions, and show respect.
Athlete’s Competence
Determining an athlete’s competence is crucial because it helps prevent undermining, which could discourage an athlete. It is also important to determine an athlete’s competence to effectively plan training sessions and assign athletes mentors to motivate them to improve their skills and play for the team. I also focus on an athlete’s competence when selecting athletes to compete in tournaments. Selecting athletes based on their competence and the competence of their competitors is vital in preventing demotivation and providing a platform where athletes can improve their skills and competence without feeling pressured to learn faster than others. I also consider an athlete’s competence when choosing the coaching style because more competent athletes require an environment where they feel that their competence is valued by being engaged in decision-making.
Number of Athletes
Coaching requires assigning a reasonable amount of time to every athlete to nurture their skills and motivate them to improve their athletic skills and competence. Therefore, I consider the number of athletes I am required to coach when selecting a coaching style. Determining the number of athletes I am coaching is also vital in creating the training schedules because the number of athletes influences the training hours per athlete. Therefore, I need to ensure that every athlete gets the minimum number of training hours and create extra training hours for athletes who need to develop their athletic skills and competence so that they feel motivated to continue being part of the team.
Level of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is vital in controlling emotions. Athletics arouse a wide range of emotions among athletes. For instance, some athletes may be overexcited after winning a competition, and others may act neutral. Some athletes may also be disappointed and angry after losing a game, and others may be calm and focus on winning the next competition. Therefore, as a coach, I need to understand the athlete’s level of emotional intelligence so that I can manage their reactions to wins and losses and ensure that their emotions do not interfere with their performance. Understanding the athlete’s emotional intelligence level is also vital in deciding how a conflict should be handled. For instance, the level of emotional intelligence may dictate whether the athletes can address the conflict on their own or require a mediator. An athlete’s level of emotional intelligence may also impact their response to the coach’s instructions after a conflict, thus influencing the coaching style.
References
Hu, Q., Li, P., Jiang, B., & Liu, B. (2023). Impact of a controlling coaching style on athletes’ fear of failure: Chain mediating effects of basic psychological needs and sport commitment. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1106916
Nicholls, A. R., & Perry, J. L. (2016). Perceptions of coach-athlete relationship are more important to coaches than athletes in predicting dyadic coping and stress appraisals: An actor–partner independence mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00447
Paul, D., Read, P., Farooq, A., & Jones, L. (2021). Factors influencing the association between coach and athlete rating of exertion: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine – Open, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-020-00287-2
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Question
In this activity, you will list seven specific issues that determine your governing principles (the set of beliefs or generalized guidelines that help you make decisions when coaching). Although some of your coaching principles may already be well established in your mind, others are more malleable. The goal of the activity is not to point out right or wrong answers but to make you more aware of the principles that you now hold. For each of the seven issues you select, you will complete a rationale for each.
For each response, you will write a rationale for the position you took. Each response should be at least one-half page in length (for a total of (minimum) three and one-half total pages) written in paragraph/essay (narrative) format. You are assigned to provide a minimum of three(3) scholarly references. Naturally, if you list a reference, you would be expected to cite it at least once in your narrative. Once completed, upload your assignment to be graded in the assignment section of the classroom.