Use positive language to improve your coaching
As a youth soccer coach it is important to remember that positive language, whether you're coaching your youngsters during a training session or feeding back after a match, always yields positive results.
Focus on the positive
Every coach will struggle for the right words when trying to communicate with his team, particularly in certain difficult situations. Whether the situation is before a big game, after a loss, or whilst overcoming adversity, articulating the right idea in words can be one of the most important factors in the ongoing drive for success.
There is always a need to be able to say the right thing at the right time. Focusing your comments on positive instruction will help you achieve this.
The main reason for giving a positive instruction is that the mind does not really understand a negative instruction. For example, if someone says to you “don’t think of the colour black”, what do you think of? The very thing you were asked not to do!
State what you want
Using the principle of positive instruction you would state what you want rather than what you don’t want. This approach can have a very powerful positive effect on the mind, yet many coaches still tell players what they don’t want, therefore producing negative thoughts.
“When you shoot don’t miss the target” might be the instruction from the coach to the player, but would it not be better to instruct the player when he shoots to hit the target? Phrases such as “don’t foul”, “don’t lose the ball” and “don’t lose the game” can all be replaced by more positive instructions.
Putting theory into practice
I've thought a lot about this idea and I've tried to apply it to my communication with my Under-8 players. I suspect that it's partly because of their age, but I really feel that trying to be more positive (and avoiding the word "don't") has been a big help. Perhaps at that young age, they perceive the word as an implied criticism and that clouds their understanding of the positive outcome that you want to achieve.
Give your players a positive, supportive environment and this will encourage clearer understanding and more effective learning.
Of course, there's no reason why this approach shouldn't work equally well with senior players. Think about how you speak to your players, and think about how you'd like to be spoken to.
Click here for more soccer coaching tips on communicating effectively with your young soccer players.
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