[message_box title=”STORY HIGHLIGHT” color=”blue”]Sports psychologist Caroline Silby says that coaches must spend more time teaching and less time screaming[/message_box]
The Rutgers University athletic department is still reeling after a shocking video revealed basketball coach Mike Rice shouting slurs and throwing balls at his players. Rice was fired the day after the video ran on ESPN in early April, and athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned two days later.
Now, Pernetti’s replacement, Julie Hermann, is facing allegations that she abused her players when she was Tennessee’s head volleyball coach from 1991 to 1996.
Rice had a win-loss record of 44-51 in his three years at Rutgers. Hermann’s teams finished went a combined 77-106. It might have worked for the likes of Bob Knight and Woody Hayes, but can a short-tempered coach really succeed in today’s NCAA?
Sports psychologist Caroline Silby, 47, says that coaches must spend more time teaching and less time screaming. She says that today’s athletes are looking for a more meaningful experience.
“A lot of it is generational,” says Silby. “Coaches today have to spend a little bit more time providing a rationale.”
Ohio University basketball coach Jim Christian, who holds the highest winning percentage in the history of the Mid-American Conference, has found over his 23-year coaching career that communication is key.
“Kids today, they need to know why they’re doing something,” he said. “The ability to communicate openly and honestly (with players) helps avoid a lot of problems.”
But just because today’s athletes need more explanation doesn’t mean that coaches should go soft. Christian says if his team isn’t where it needs to be, on and off the court, it will suffer the consequences.
“There’s a standard with which we want our players to perform,” he said. “When they fall short of that, they need to know that there are going to be repercussions.”
Christian also wants his players to know that when he disciplines them, it’s only because of the mistakes they made. He says his intention is never to hurt or degrade, but simply to teach about life.
“It’s like any other workplace. If somebody is not upholding expectations, they get fired,” he says.
Though coaches have thrown temper tantrums on the sidelines for years, Silby says that it is no way for a leader to act. In today’s sports culture, she says that angry, abusive coaching strategies have erroneously become synonymous with a passion drive to win. When these bouts of rage begin to form patterns, disciplinary actions turn to abuse.
“You need to consider the type of abuse, the intensity and frequency,” she said.
Silby also says that coaches need to tailor their philosophies to the team they have. She says the perfect matchup of an athlete’s personality and a training environment leads to true performance excellence. But for many young athletes, personalities can shift daily.
“For me, it goes both ways, depending on the situation,” says former North Alabama tennis player MacKenzie Bishop, 23. “Your mental mindset that day determines how you will respond to certain coaching strategies.”
The three-time All-Gulf South Conference selection says it’s important for coaches to know as much as they can about their players. Luckily, her coach — her father, Brice — knows her better than anyone else.
“He’s harder on me,” said Bishop. “If everyone’s having a bad day, I’m the one he’s going to yell at. He knows I can take it; he’s coached me for 23 years.” But for however much his words can sting, Bishop finds herself responding to her coach’s criticisms.
“There are some days when he just completely goes off on me, and then the next thing you know, you’re playing (spectacularly).”
Silby says that coaches shouldn’t be afraid to criticize their players, but they should think about they way they do it. She says that people are more likely to respond to negative criticism delivered in a more positive way.
“Very often, the delivery of the coach and how they give feedback becomes more important than the actual feedback,” she said.
Just as training, nutrition and technique have evolved throughout the years, so has the art of coaching. Emotionally, coaches will need to adjust with changing times.
“There’s a fine line,” says Silby. “Discipline still needs to happen, but there needs to be a connection for discipline to work.”
Alex Hider is a summer 2013 Collegiate Correspondent.
