Being a Positive Coach 

by Dr. Darrell J. Burnett 

Being a positive coach does much for the athlete - it promotes self-concept, it builds confidence, and it builds a strong team. If we really care about the kids and the sport we coach we need to look for positives and praise them for it. 

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Positive Coaching Checklist

Look for positives and make a big deal out of them.

Stay calm when athletes make mistakes and help them to learn from them.

Have realistic and reasonable expectations.

Treat athletes with respect, avoiding put-downs, sarcasm, and ridicule.

Remind your athletes to not get down on themselves.

Maintain a fun attitude with laughter and a sense of humor.

Emphasize team.

Look for Positives - and Make A Big Deal Out of Them

It is said that a major source of one's self-preception is what they hear about themselves from others. If we want to help promote a positive self-view in the athletes we coach we need to concentrate on looking for positives and then noticing them with animated praise.

Research shows that a healthy relationship has a 4 to 1 ratio of positive to negatives. That is a good rule of thumb for coaches. As we arrive for practice or games, we should be thinking of trying to keep a healthy ration or positives to negatives.

Moreover, if we want our athletes to hear the positives, we have to be specific. "Nice try" and "good game" are too vague. Athletes need something so they can visualize it and remember it (i.e., "I like the way you hit the cutoff man," "I like the way you kept hustling until the whistle blew.") Helping an athlete notice his or her specific progress are all ways of noticing positives.

Finally, it is not enough to simply notice a positive. It is equally important to "make a big deal" out of it, to praise with animation. Why? Because the athletes hear, respond to and remember the action. The bigger public commotion we make as a coach when an athlete does something right, the better. In fact, a good motto is: "Praise in public and criticize in private."