Effective communication with today’s Athletes & Positive Discipline

Effective communication with today’s Athletes & Positive Discipline

            Achieving better performance and positive discipline for both athletes and coaches in sports requires a mutual understanding and connection from both within and outside the field. The attitude portrayed by the team members towards the leadership with their coach is essential for shaping and promoting their sports performance, even when faced with challenges. Communication in sports is crucial between all parties involves; hence, achieving unity among them is essential. The paper, therefore, exhumes the effectiveness of coach-athlete relationship, type of communication portrayed in the field, the personality traits and individual differences, gender differences, and student-athlete involvement in promoting effective communication with today’s athletes and generates a definite discipline.

The coach-athlete relationship is essential for creating effective communication through a secure and mutual interpersonal relationship between them. The coaches and their athletes must have a shared feeling and emotion towards one another in the field. In essence, the coach-athlete link is crucial in ensuring that both parties achieve success for their efforts in the sport (Mageau & Vallerand, 2003). The relationship between them begins from their training that must be developed before they can engage in competitive games.

The quality of relationships created between the coach and athletes promotes passion and motivational perception of better performance. In most scenarios, effective communication helps their relationship, specifically beginning with the coach’s actions and behavior. All athletes believe and follow the instructions of their coaches, which have an impact on them. With most of the coaches being older than their athletes, they portray the desired ability and personality, which is encouraged by their experience in the field (Mageau & Vallerand, 2003). Regarding youth sports, the coach-athlete relationship requires precise understanding, which is developed through the involvement of the parents. Therefore, creating a mutual coach-athlete relationship is essential for promoting effective communication and creating a positive discipline for the athletes, which is accomplished through encouragement by the coach’s behavior and positive role modeling.

In some cases, effective communication and positive discipline may be barred as a result of the conflict, which might be developed between the coach and their athletes. Such a dispute may create a barrier between their relationship, thus, affecting the coordination and general team performance. One of the causes of conflict may be the variation in goals, values, and behavior that is contributed from different circumstances. If the coach and the team do have standard rules to follow, they may disagree on which direction to follow. Such disagreement results from a lack of honest communication and openness to communicate in the relationship. Creating such a conflict affects the performance and attitude of the team towards achieving a positive return from their competitors. The coach should engage their athletes in a positive culture, such as holding routine meetings, which help to discuss better problem-solving procedures and avoid any conflict that might arise from the athletes. Therefore, coaches and athletes should engage in conflict management, which helps to promote effective communication, and the coach’s influence improves athlete positive discipline outcomes in the field.

Also, the conflict between coaches and athlete may be encouraged through aggressive communication that is created by the coach during interactions with their athletes. The fact is that not every athlete is disciplinary perfect in their sports; hence, discipline may sometime be imposed by to encourage or punish athletes by the coaches or disciplinary board in the field. However, there is aggressive communication that might arise from the coach during the process, which athletes might perceive to be negative and harmful. According to a study by Kassing & Infante (1997), results showed that male athlete shows less attachment to an aggressive coach, indicating their less satisfaction from the attitude. The effect of assertive communication has a negative implication to the coach-athlete relationship, and further influencing their sportsmanship by giving poor results in competitions. The athletes, therefore, might end up portraying negative character and discipline because of their ill perception of the coach’s methodology, which also destroys the coach-athlete interpersonal relationship. Thus, the portrayal of aggressive communication techniques influences the desired effective communication and positive discipline.

Sports participation has been observed to show positive personality-trait-like individual differences (PLTID). PLTID individuals are described to portray characters such as self-efficacy, perseverance, positivity, self-esteem, and positivity that contribute to positive discipline. There is an interrelationship between participation in sports and personality development, which can help develop personal discipline traits. According to Laborde et al., 2016, athletes are observed to have a positive PLTID, which shapes their skills for the future. Individual sports activities such as tennis, track, swimming, and many others give personal development to athletes and coaches/trainers. Sports participation encourages the development of positivity, self-esteem, and perseverance, creating a healthy relationship in the field.  Since the outcome of the competition solely depends on personal efforts rather than a team, the athlete must develop a relationship with their coach, which is encouraged through effective communication (Laborde et al., 2016). With the encouragement and advice provided by their coach, they end up developing a definite discipline. Engagement in sports is essential in the development of positive PLTID compared to those individuals that do not participate in the activities. Therefore, the positive competitive outcome is encouraged by the relationship developed between the athlete and their trainers, which is a result of understanding and communication established between the two parties.

Most professional athletes begin their sports careers in high school, which helps them to grow more personal and professional skills and negotiation skills. Students who are good at sports have to negotiate with their parents to participate in those sports. Negotiation includes effective communication with parents, which is crucial in making it a success (Camiré et al., 2009). The communication skills that they develop are transferred to the field, where they can have effective communication with their team and the coach. All sports require listening and following instructions given by the coaches and teammates. Through the creation of a favorable sports environment by the school, there is sufficient participation, which yields positive results from the systematical communication and support given by both the parents and the coaches (Camiré et al., 2009). Also, the developed youth-adult negotiation encourages the development of positive discipline outside the field, and for the future. Athletes gain both personal and leadership skills such as confidence, autonomy, and self-efficacy, which are all essential for the development of their profession. The life skills learned from sports participation could be transferred to life experiences, challenges, and future endeavors. Thus, effective negotiation and communication developed by youths promote their future sport and life skills.

The gender difference in the transformational leadership of students in athletics and student bodies is variable, and essential in creating better athletes. Students involved in both school sports activities and student leadership roles have better communication and influence on the character of others. According to Mak & Kim (2017), female were found to outdo males in the motivation of their team members in terms of respect, feelings, and offer better support for challenges affecting them. Female coaches and leaders have a higher interpersonal relationship with others, which is a compelling personality in ensuring that there is openness between the team in communication. It is observed that athletes will show much respect and trust in female coaches and trainers, which may positively influence and build their attitude towards personal discipline. Also, female leaders and coaches are impactful in relying on crucial messages and ideas to their subordinates and athletes, which can be replicated by their athletes, and yield effective communication across each other. Therefore, having female leaders in sports and student-athletes produces more successful and effective communication, which can promote better life skills and acceptable behaviors.

Effective communication in today’s athlete and positive discipline is an essential topic that has a more positive impact on forming a better relationship with other people in life, apart from those in sports. Learning how to interact with others in the sports environment through understanding, unity, and agreement on mutual decisions, developing specific skills and knowledge can be replicated by the athletes in class, and achieve academic excellence. Students can use the skills and knowledge learned on the sports field like efficient interpersonal communication to form study groups. Thus, the topic creates an essential impact in achieving both sports and educational goals from their attained experience.

Also, the lessons discussed in the topic are essential for future reference as an athletics coach. Using the information presented in the study topic, I will be able to create a conducive atmosphere for the team, which will include freedom and openness to express concerns and frustrations from my side. By allowing this, priority will be focused on the welfare of the athletes, who have to be comfortable with my coaching techniques, and follow my instructions. The team will be able to work efficiently, maximizing positive results in a different competition. Furthermore, this will offer more life lessons, such as commitment, integrity, teamwork, attitude, and athletes will develop trust.  Therefore, there is more impact in generating personal leadership and accelerating life skills for sportsmanship and future careers.

Conclusively, effective communication in an athlete is essential as it plays an indispensable role in promoting their positive discipline in life. However, there are different factors and aspects that influence the success of the communication, including gender difference in transformational leadership of students in athletics and student bodies, efficient coach-athlete relationship, the impact of high school participation in negotiation, and communication with parents and coaches. Also, the aspect of positive personality-trait-like individual differences (PLTID) in different sports, and finally, the impact of aggressive communication in coach-athlete interpersonal traits when dealing with challenges. Therefore, more students should be encouraged to be involved in sports activities, which not only have a physical significance for their health and professionalism but also help in the development of their life skills. Parents and coaches should play the primary role in encouraging, training, and promoting these skills and knowledge for their future endeavors.

References

Camiré, M., Trudel, P., & Forneris, T. (2009). High school athletes’ perspectives on support, communication, negotiation, and life skill development. Qualitative research in sport and exercise, 1(1), 72-88.

Kassing, J. W., & Infante, D. A. (1999). Aggressive communication in the coach‐athlete relationship. Communication Research Reports, 16(2), 110-120.

Laborde, S., Guillén, F., & Mosley, E. (2016). Positive personality-trait-like individual differences in athletes from individual and team sports and non-athletes. Psychology of sport and exercise, 26, 9-13.

Mageau, G. A., & Vallerand, R. J. (2003). The coach-athlete relationship: A motivational model. Journal of sports science, 21(11), 883-904.

Mak, J. Y., & Kim, C. (2017). Relationship Among Gender, Athletic Involvement, Student Organization Involvement, and Leadership. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 25(2), 89-95.