Can a coach’s attitude affect the productivity, growth and mentality of an athlete?

As society and culture change, so does the idea of old school coaching practices. No longer is the tyrant coach the ideal method of coaching. In today’s world of sports, athletes are more in touch with their mental health and are able to articulate the needs they have and want from their teammates, leaders, and most importantly, their coaches. In a recent Psychology Today post by Dr. Laura M. Miele, she addressed the importance of understanding how a coach’s attitude can affect an athlete’s mentality. Dr. Miele’s post, How a Coach’s Attitude Can Affect an Athlete’s Mentality, speaks to the understanding of the whole athlete and creating a positive atmosphere for all people involved that work with athletes.

Dr. Miele addressed the importance of changing cultures and describes two distinct styles of coaching. One style consisted of praising athletes and creating a positive atmosphere that allowed the athlete to grow, build autonomy and gain confidence (the new style of coaching). While the second style was more dictatorial, where coaches would create an atmosphere predicated on fear of failure and emphasizing the negative effects of failure on an athlete by letting the coach and team down. Dr. Miele discussed the differences between both styles and why the newer style of coaching, which addressed athlete’s concerns and allowed for athlete’s to take on more ownership, was more conducive for success on and off the field of play.

Dr. Miele’s journal also spoke about the significance of self-awareness for coaches. She mentions the need for coach’s to not project their own issues and concern onto their athletes. Dr. Miele specifically mentions the pressure placed upon coaches to win games and succeed on the court and how their response to pressure can directly affect the success an athlete has on the court. When a coach projects their own stressors onto a team, it can affect not just an individual athlete, but the whole team. Furthermore, the article stresses the importance of communication and explaining the “why” and “how” of mistakes. By having an open dialogue, the athlete is able to improve their confidence and understanding when a coach is able to explain mistakes and use those mistakes as a teaching lesson.

To further emphasize the importance of self-recognition for coaches and their style of coaching, Dr. Miele notes that coaches should understand their own weaknesses and inadequacies and acknowledge their own need for growth and learning. This will help an athlete learn that it is okay to not be perfect and understand that learning and growth is continual.

For athletes to achieve optimal success, they must be conscious of training their minds as much and as often as their bodies. The importance of training the mental and physical approaches of competition comes from their coaches. New school coaches place an emphasize of learning, growth and confidence building, while also creating an atmosphere of inclusion and autonomy. In the new world of sport, a coaches attitude has a direct correlation to an athlete’s positive or negative mentality.

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Miele, L. (2022, February 22). How a coach’s attitude can affect an athlete’s mentality. Psychology Today.

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