Can coaches be trained to make sports more enjoyable for kids?
Effects of a Motivational Climate Intervention for Coaches on Young Athletes' Sport Performance Anxiety. Ronald E. Smith, Frank L. Smoll and Sean P. Cumming. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 29 (1) 2007.
Do youth coaches contribute to feelings of performance anxiety in their young athletes? Can they be trained not to? These questions were the focus of a study involving "37 coaches (33 males and 4 females) and 216 athletes (117 boys and 99 girls) between the ages of 10 and 14 years who participated in community-based basketball programs" in the Seattle area. About half of the coaches participated in a 75-minute workshop on teaching athletes to take satisfaction from playing to the best of their abilities, to learn from their mistakes, and to simply enjoy the game, the practices, and interactions with teammates. This positive coaching, as opposed to "critical or punitive feedback" and an overemphasis on winning, did in fact have a dramatic effect on reducing the amount of stress in the athletes. These athletes reported having feelings of success from just playing well, and from not feeling anxious (or queasy) when they felt they did not perform well.
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