Name: Janeth Y. Lleno Activity No.

1
Section: BSOA-2A Subject: PE4

The Good and Bad Effect of Positive and Negative Style of Coaching

The main purpose of coaching is to maximize the performance of athletes, help

them reach a higher level than they could have done alone, and develop a winning a
team. Coaches are known to fulfill different roles including being a leader, psychologist,
friend, teacher, personnel manager, administrator, fundraiser, and role model. Genuine
relationships between athletes and coaches generate more trust, better communication,
and a winning attitude. An open line of communication helps everyone to be more
honest with one another which leads to stronger training, athletic progress, and
personal growth.
Through the different styles of coaching, coaches impact the athletes with whom
they associate in different ways, while also fulfilling or neglecting the athletes’
psychological needs. It has been suggested that coaches who exhibit the most
Autonomy Supportive Style of coaching behavior or Democratic Style tend to fulfill the
psychological needs of athletes resulting in the development of self-determined forms of
motivation. Having a positive style of coaching like being Autonomy Supportive Coach,
means that the individual takes into account their athletes’ perspective, engages with
and acknowledges their athletes’ feelings, and provide athletes with pertinent
information and opportunities for choice. In a study completed by Mageau and Vallerand
(2003), there were a number of behaviors identified that coincide with behaviors
Autonomy Supportive Coaches display. These specific behaviors include: providing
choice for their athletes within specific rules and limits, providing their athletes a
rationale for tasks and limits, acknowledging athletes’ feelings and perspectives,
providing athletes with opportunities for initiative taking and independent work, providing
non-controlling competence feedback, avoiding controlling behaviors such as criticism,
controlling statements, and offering tangible reward for tasks, and lastly, preventing
ego-involvement in athletes. Coaches who are identified by their athletes as Autonomy
Supportive are also described as pro-social and approachable. In contrast to this
coaching style, there is the controlling coach who displays a different set of behaviors.
The only negative in this example of positive style in coaching is the athlete may get
very comfortable to the coach and this will result for the athlete to be not competitive
because he or she know that his or her coach will not scold him or her instead, it will just
give supportive words. And for the coach, this will result to an idea that his or her athlete
abuse his or her kindness for being a supportive coach. Controlling or Autocratic Style
of coaching. Although the literature tends to focus on the characteristics of the
autonomy supportive coach, there are a number of characteristics and behaviors that
can be identified in a controlling coach, and the vast majority of these behaviors are in
direct contrast to those of an Autonomy Supportive coach. Controlling coaches tend to
provide no choices or rationales for their athletes, and although they do provide
feedback, it is often negative. The controlling coach also employs power-assertive
techniques that pressure athletes to comply. This can be most closely associated with
the concept of punishing athletes for not completing certain tasks, or if they are
completed in a non-desired fashion. The only positive in this negative example style of
coaching for the athlete is he or she will know the field or aspect where he or she need
to improve it to be more competitive and have more chances of winning a competition
while for the coach, he or she can relaxed a little bit because he or she opened the eye
of his or her athlete to what field or aspect it isn’t good enough to defeat opponents.
In conclusion, coaching is essentially about helping individuals regulate and
direct their interpersonal and intrapersonal resources to better attain their goals.
Coaches who understand this concept may avoid negative punishment or reinforcement
techniques and move toward a more positive approach. The skill development of a
player involves training and learning, therefore, it becomes important for the coach to
use proper coaching techniques. The coach must find a balance between helping his or
her players reach their full potential as athletes and achieving success through winning,
so that one purpose does not inhibit the other.