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Developing Player Confidence Through Constructive Coaching

Since it is not easy to obtain successful results in sports, there are going to be times when you need to correct them. The real trick to coaching is knowing how to preserve your athletes' confidence when you need to correct them. This article describes ten way to maintaining your player's confidence when you need to provide corrective feedback.

Author: Bruce Smith
Date: Jul 1, 2009 - 2:02:24 AM

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Motivating players while perserving the athletes' confidence when you need to correct them.  The best coaches have mastered this skill. Here is a list of ten ways for challenging your athletes while still maintaining their   confidence.

1) Set high objectives and make it a "we" feat

The best words you can say to your athletes when they made a mistake is "I know your better than that." This simple phrase reinforces the belief that you have faith in their capability and that you know they are capable of performing at much higher level than what they are currently demonstrating. Then turn the challenge into a "we" goal that lets the athlete know that together you will tackle the problem. Making it a "we" challenge shows your athletes that you are willing to partner with them to help them get better.

2) Understand mistakes are not deliberate

The vast majority of errors players make are not deliberate. Athletes want to play well, not only for themselves, but also for their coaches and teammates. Realizing your players errors are not intentional can be challenging at times, but the best course of action initially is to support them and encourage them to correct it.

3) Empower players to play through mistakes

Although it is not always possible, a great way to demonstrate your confidence in an athlete is to allow them to play through their errors. Give them a chance to self correct themselves within the game situation rather than pulling them out and immediately offering your feedback. Allowing athletes to self correct and learn from mistakes provides them with an opportunity to learn resiliency.

4) Excuse making should not be allowed

In order for an athlete to take ownership for their success, they must also take ownership for the mistakes and own the corrective process. Taking responsibility for their success and failure develops a player's self-esteem and self-confidence. Taking ownership for their errors demonstrates a high level of maturity and, after correction, boosts a player's confidence. The successes they own develops a deep foundational confidence level in their ability that they will need when the inevitable series of short falls comes along.

5) Keep your comments factual and focused on the solution

Many times coaches can get caught up in the emotions of the moment. At times like these, the feedback is emotionally charged and can lead to statements the coaches wish they never said. The coach's feedback should be solution based.

6) Target the critique on the behavior, not the individual

When giving constructive feedback, make sure the target of it is the athlete's behavior and not the athlete themselves. Criticizing the behavior allows a person to keep their confidence intact because their behavior can be changed and corrected. However, if you criticize them as a person, they cannot help but take it personally.

7) Sandwich the constructive feedback with positive facts

A player will become defensive and tune out the feedback if the coach is always finding fault in them. By surrounding the constructive feedback between positive reinforcements, the player's defensives stay down and they are more objective in listening to the feedback.

8) Keep the feedback private

Ever heard the phrase "Praise in public, criticize in private." When praising athletes in front of their peers, it does a lot to build their confidence. On the other hand, when you criticize athletes in public, you embarrass them in front of their peers that raises their defensive mechanism. An athlete's pride in their performance is the one thing you will be relying on when the going gets tough.

9) Remind them of their past achievements and strengths

In addition to your praise, athletes can build their own confidence by focusing on their strengths and past successes. One of the best things a coach can do is to remind them of how successful they are and provide concrete examples of this success. Refocus your athletes on their strengths.

10) Never give up

When it comes to your players, you must adopt a never give up mind set. The last thing you would ever want them to do is to give up. If they ever sense you have given up on them, they will either give up on themselves or lose all respect for you and give up on you as a coach. A major factor in a player's confidence level comes from their belief that the coach has confidence in their athletic ability.  <br><br><br><a href="Youth-Athletehttp://www.youth-athlete.org/">Youth-Athlete</a> provides resources for parents, coaches, and young athletes including <a href="suggestions'>http://blog.youth-athlete.org/category/coaching.aspx">suggestions and tips for coaches</a> that enable a successful season and a community for open questions.

View all articles by Bruce Smith

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