USATF Positive Coaching

"At the end of your coaching career, if the only thing you've done is make people better athletes, you weren't successful."

USATF (United States Track and Field) is the national governing body for United States track and field. The organization also offers multiple coaching classes and allows memberships for athletes to compete at USATF hosted events. One of the things they emphasize is positive coaching. Coaches have the ability to make or break an athlete. They instill not only skills and techniques, but also values that the athlete will carry with them beyond their sport participation days.

Coaches must be highly motivated as they request the same from their athletes. Like the athlete, positive coaches must adopt the role of student, remain humble and enthusiastic. An important part of the coaching process is "discovering the call": to take a few moments to prioritize a list of important values that are meaningful to the coach and implement them in their coaching. This includes reflecting on values and beliefs, identifying purpose, learning, developing a coaching philosophy and choosing a model. Many coaches strive to win, but the main focus should be on the athlete first, and winning second.

Another building block of the coaching experience is the coach-athlete relationship. The coaches main focus should be on the athlete becoming a better, happier, and more effective person. Nurturing each athletes feeling of self-worth and self-esteem helps this. As a teacher and mentor, the coach provides the athlete with guidance throughout the training process. The dependence-to-independence model is an important part of developing self responsibility and discipline in the athlete (USATF). The coach must allow the athlete to have more say in the training process as time goes on.

Positive coaches must also develop a healthy attitude towards competition. The word competition derives from two Greek words meaning “to strive with" or "to strive together". Competition should bring out the best in both parties involved. Having fun has been proven by researchers to be a primary motivator for participation in sports. When focusing on mastery and improvement it is important, to want to return for more and have fun.

To get cooperation out of the athletes it is important to establish respect between the coach and the athlete. Being respectful of the athletes builds respect, trust, belief, accountability, and intrinsic motivation. Respect should be expected and demanded by both the athletes and coaches. Positive coaches also promote constructive instruction. This allows for a positive environment that constructs the athlete into what they need to be, rather than causing destruction. There should be a balance of correcting faults and boosting strengths. If too much attention is placed on what is being done wrong, the attention is pulled from what is being done right. All improvements must be celebrated, as these are important parts of the big picture. Positive coaches, coach the person within the athlete, not just the athlete.

A growth mindset is built on the tenet that every athlete can be better tomorrow than they were yesterday, as a result of the investment they have made today. The athlete has control over preparation and performance along with the guidance of the coach. Focusing on bettering performances rather than winning give the athlete the best chance for a positive outcome. Research shows that the strongest and most lasting and enduring motivation is intrinsic. Athletes must be given the opportunity to make important decisions to develop autonomy and self-sufficiency.

All experiences good or bad, are growth opportunities for future success in both sport and life. Positive coaches promote, recognize, and celebrate not just wins but, good plays, great effort, improvement, good decisions, and personal growth. The coach's role is to cultivate a desire for excellence within the athlete. Excellence is something that must be strived for. Coaches focus on identifying and building on every athlete’s strength by finding the balance between correcting faults and reinforcing strengths. Optimism is about belief, trust, confidence and hope. Positive coaches choose to be optimistic. Everyone can achieve personal excellence, not just the "chosen."

The mind is the gate keeper of the body. Thoughts control actions. The athlete chooses the thought and controls aspects such as confidence, concentration, composure, courage, and commitment. When athletes are faced with difficult challenges it is important to have mental stability. Negative and distracting thoughts get in the way of optimal performance. Positive coaches teach a number skills and the right mindset is one that is very important. Positive coaches develop and nurture an environment that creates experiences that allow the athlete to produce and achieve optimal performance.

Positive coaching is about teaching the athletes to perform better on the field, track, or court, become better people in life in general, and last but certainly not least, have fun!

Photo: http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2011/02/oregon_track_field_assistant_r.html

Reference: USA Track & Field. Track & Field Coaching Essentials. Human Kinetics, 2015.

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