Coaching Style Analysis

The art of coaching is not limited to understanding game strategy and teaching. The most effective and successful coaches also exhibit other valuable characteristics, namely effective communication. They must have verbal finesse in order to maintain unity within the team, praise team members frequently, know when the proper time is to reward and when to punish, show encouragement, enthusiasm and excitement, utilize the power of humor to communicate with athletes at the proper times, create a supportive team element to make players feel safe and heard, and promote a contagious positivity amongst the team. The precision of the coaches can lead to individual and team success and this is significant in athletics, as successful performance is the

In the present world of sports, coaches are expected to be politically correct, like the rest of society, regardless of the gender differences in the sports and athletes that are coached. According to Turman and Schrodt (2004), there are five coaching styles that coaches display in order to garner the desired responses from both male and female athletes. First, an autocratic style includes those behaviors that coaches uses to create a separation between themselves and their athletes, often by establishing their authority and position as a coach. Second, a democratic style included behaviors that encourages participation by pro and student athletes when making decisions relative to the sport. Third, a social support leadership style helps satisfy the interpersonal needs of the athletes. Fourth, a positive feedback style includes those behaviors that coaches use to communicate a sense of appreciation for their athletes, and finally, a training and instruction leadership style which includes those behaviors that coaches use to develop their athletes’ skill and knowledge. Males and females require all of these styles, however, some are more necessary and appropriate for one more than the other

Male coaches who had previously led male athletes, but were currently coaching female athletes found that when communicating with female athletes, extra thought before speaking was needed in order to avoid misunderstandings. Further, the tone and sound of the male coach's voice can sometimes be perceived by the female as yelling and being overly aggressive and because of this, the typical coaching style of male coaches is dependent upon the gender of the team (Martin, Rocca, Cayanus, & Weber, 2009). Male coaches of male athletes were found to use more punishment strategies and verbal aggression than did male coaches who coached female athletes (Martin, Rocca, Cayanus, & Weber, 2009). According to Tucker (2008), young athletes do not like the intimidation tactics or the verbal tone used by coaches who favor the autocratic style of coaching. Female athletes, as well, find negative feedback to be adverse and prefer more positive feedback (Miller, Ogilvie & Branch, 2008). Although both male and female coaches can use an autocratic coaching style, male coaches use this style more than female coaches (Beam et al., 2004; Windsor, 2005; Giddings,