Baseball Coaching Info

Coaching Behavior Part II: Training, Instruction, Support, and Rewards

Last month we looked at how coaching behavior effects athletes. Coaching behavior was defined and it was decided that giving players what they want, was the best way to positively motivate their performance. During the next three articles we will look at what players want and how to give it to them. This month we will look at giving your players proper training, and instruction, social support, and rewarding behaviors.

Training and Instruction

In three separate studies (Chelladurai, 1984; Schliesman, 1985; Willis, 1994), athletes were shown to desire proper training and instruction more than any other type of behavior. Training and instruction deals with providing information to facilitate the improvement of skills and encouraging task accomplishment and goal achievement (Willis, 1994). Practically speaking, this means having a broad based knowledge of your sport and the ability to communicate that knowledge to facilitate your players’ improvement through the setting and attainment of goals. Becoming CAP certified, reading the latest literature and talking with other coaches, are all ways you can increase your base of knowledge in order to improve your ability to give proper training and instruction. Evaluating your ability to clearly communication is key in getting your knowledge across. Take a chance, and have an outside coach evaluate your ability to communicate, or video tape yourself, and sit down and watch. Finally, working with your individual athletes on setting goals (long and short term) and discussing how you can attain those goals allows your players direct access to your skills and abilities as a coach.

Social Support

Social support is characterized by behaviors, which indicate concern for players and their welfare. Through supportive behaviors, the coach can attempt to help individuals with personal problems, and increase communication within the team, thereby increasing group cohesion (Willis, 1994). The old clich?, “Athletes don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” definitely applies. Athletes need to know they are valued as people first and players second. They will appreciate your effort to get to know and support them off the court. Planning get-togethers, outside of the gym, also allows you get to know your players better, and allows your players appreciate you as a person outside the coaching arena.

Rewarding Behavior

Rewarding behavior is performance dependent positive feedback provided by the coach, crucial to maintaining the motivational level of the athletes (Willis, 1994). In simpler terms this translates into giving them a pat on the back when they do something well. Let your players know their efforts are noticed and appreciated. Rewarding behavior can be in the form of verbal praise, playing time or even something tangible, like a jellybean. You would be amazed at what players will do for a jellybean. They don’t see it as a piece of candy, but as an acknowledgment of their hard work.

Be sure to reward behavior (i.e. proper footwork, hustle, etc.) and not outcome (i.e. ace, point, etc.) Rewards should be the result of something the player can control (the process), not an outcome that might be dependent on something, or somebody, else.

By far, these three types of behavior are the most popular when it comes to what athletes want (Schliesman, 1985; Willis, 1994). Next month, we’ll look at democratic and autocratic behavior, two very different types of decision making behaviors.