How to Establish a Positive Relationship Between Coach and Athlete (Part 2 of 3 -Effective Communica
As we continue to discuss the importance of building a positive relationship between the coach and athlete, it is necessary to highlight that communication plays a crucial role. Being able to communicate clearly and appropriately is not only imperative for the coach, but also for the athlete. A goal of developing a strong line of communication is to also help maximize practice time. Think about it, happy and productive athletes equal happy and productive coaches.
Many of you are probably wondering, “what c
an be deemed effective communication?” The answer is easy. Communication between the coach and the athlete must be reciprocal and can be demonstrated both physically and verbally. Examples of communication that coaches and athletes demonstrate include delivery of corrective feedback and expectations, and body language throughout practice.
In a sport where athletes come to practice and strive for perfection daily, it is our responsibility as the coach to provide corrective feedback. More specifically, what we mean by corrective feedback is giving corrections, redirection, and instructions in a positive and understanding manner. For example, I am sure that every coach can relate to going to a competition and your athlete is still getting an “average” score and are unable to reach their goal score. This can be frustrating for both parties. When delivery corrections we can highlight what the gymnast has done well, and provide skill-specific feedback to help improve the gymnast’s routine.
By using positive reinforcement it will help increase the gymnast’s confidence and allow them to fully understand the skills they need to improve.
Another time when communication is important when an athlete is unable to make a correction. Often, a gymnast is trying to understand what her body is doing, but may not have a strong understanding of how to specifically correct the error. This typically leads to over-correcting or a lack of correction; however, it is also very important to notice good mistakes! Now I know you are probably thinking to yourself, “what is a good mistake?” A good mistake can be described as a turn a gymnast takes where something little was changed; yet the athlete still fell off of the apparatus or is still in need of continued correction. Good mistakes are important to highlight, and a positive reaction from the coach will help the athlete continue to strive to be better. If a coach continually reacts negatively to a gymnast’s error, it disrupts the safe learning environment. This will then lead to a breech in the relationship between the coach and athlete.
An activity that we like to do with our gymnasts each week is conducting a discussion around a specific word or quote. We typically choose words or quotes that help the athletes focus on their goals for the week. Some are chosen when we notice the gymnasts are struggling to embrace their fears or when they are need of encouragement to conquer a specific skill. The gymnasts lead the discussion and talk about what the quote means to them and how they can use it throughout the week. At the end of the week we then have them reflect on specific scenarios when they remembered the quote. This can also be done as a written journal activity for time sake. These discussions allow the gymnast to begin expressing their ideas and feelings. Since the discussion is gymnast lead, they not only become more comfortable with communicating, but it also gives the coach an insight into what goes on in our athlete’s minds.
Communication is difficult, but these are the beginning steps to help our athletes build the necessary communication skills that they will continue to utilize even after their gymnastics days are over. With clear, reciprocal communication coaches can help develop positive relationships with their athletes! Next week, we will wrap up our segment on building relationships with our athletes by communicating clear expectations and demonstrating positive and accepting body language throughout practice!
We have included a resource for all coaches to help provide you with a sample journal activity. This type of activity can be modified for all age groups, and practice time. Don’t forget to check it out in the skill development folder! Catch you next week!
