Abstract
The relationship between coaches and their players has been a subject of research for many years now. This research has mainly been centered on determining how the environment created by coaches can lead to positive or negative influence on the motivation of players, the friendships they form and how they consider their own abilities.
Past research has proved that coaches can create either pleasurable or stressing gaming incidents to their players something that cannot only improve their sports but also help in imparting valuable life lessons.
It is amazing to note that coaches have higher influence on players than the parents of these players do. This makes it easier for coaches to teach important values to the players something that their parents could not have accomplished.
The positive effect that the coaches have on these players can be used to curb the use of drugs among young people. This research paper looks at the influence that coaches have on players and examines how this influence can help in reducing substance abuse.
Introduction
The relationship between coaches and their players has been a subject of research for many years now. This research has mainly been centered on determining how the environment created by coaches can lead to positive or negative influence on the motivation of players, the friendships they form and how they consider their own abilities.
Past research has proved that coaches can create either pleasurable or stressing gaming incidents to their players something that cannot only improve their sports but also help in imparting valuable life lessons. It is amazing to note that coaches have higher influence on players than the parents of these players do.
This makes it easier for coaches to teach important values to the players something that their parents could not have accomplished. The positive effect that the coaches have on these players can be used to curb the use of drugs among young people. This research paper looks at the influence that coaches have on players and examines how this influence can help in reducing substance abuse. (Stephenson)
In sporting activities, coaches either motivate the players to win or master the game. People who only play to win games tend to believe that they have an obligation of becoming the ideal player and making mistakes is not allowed. Indeed many of these players believe that they are only good if their team is on the winning side.
In most cases, coaches who employ this approach tend to be over critical of the players, insist on high performance principles and praise only the players who do well. On the contrary, the other mode of approach focuses on playing for enjoyment and to master new skills. In most cases, coaches who use this approach praise their players for putting in more efforts and encourage them to play as a team. (Mallette)
In most cases, coaches who adopt the “play to win” mode tend to have high expectations on the players and this often has a negative effect on them. In most cases, such players tend to be excessively concerned with mistakes, tend to have low self-esteem, and they end up having less or no friends within the team.
In most cases, lack of team friendship occurs where players feel that everyone is fighting to earn a place in the team and therefore tends to consider their teammates as rivals. On the other hand, players who are taught to adopt the “play to master” mode tend to have high believes on their capability and tend to form many friends among the team members.
Surprisingly, research has shown that players who have critical parents but supportive coaches still end up having high beliefs about their aptitude. This just goes ahead to show the immense influence that coaches have on their players and how they can help in instilling negative or positive values on them. This makes it important for coaches to understand the need of reinforcing positive behavior within players and create an environment where the players enjoy playing and the whole process of learning. (Ommundsen et al 101)
In most cases, playing in an environment that has far above the ground expectations and where there is high criticism can lead to pessimistic thoughts and behaviors, which can in turn contain far-reaching effects. In most cases, youths who have the mentality that they have to succeed in everything and are not allowed to err can develop deprived psychological health as they approach adolescence.
In most cases, players who do not bond well with fellow players may end up developing antisocial behavior later on in life. In order to fill for their inadequacy, such players end up abusing drugs apparently to boost their low self-esteem. On top of this, such players drop from the team and in most cases they even end up dropping from school. (Stephenson)
In most cases, players value their coaches more than they even value their own parents. However, many coaches do not understand this and they only coach to win the games.
For most coaches, how they perceive themselves to be doing and performing might not be the same way interpreted by the players. This makes it important for coaches to ensure that every player is appreciated and valued. With this in mind, coaches spend time with their players to instill within them values that will guide them later on in life.
It is sad to learn that most coaches have adopted a “play to win” mode that makes players feel inadequate each time they fail to secure a win. In most cases, such players become antisocial because they lack motivation in life. By adopting a “play to master” game plan, coaches can boost the self-esteem of their players and encourage inter team friendships.
This would make it easier for the coaches to master the activities of the individual players since most of the vices witnessed among the youth are introduced in social groupings. In an event where all the players have high moral standing, the chances of antisocial behavior like introduction to drug use would be significantly reduced. (Ommundsen et al 104)
On top of helping players to adopt values in life, coaches can use the influence they have over the players to transform their behavior. According to psychologists, influence has immense power and affects in a great manner the decisions that an individual takes. By using their influence in the right manner, coaches can help in transforming the life of players in positive ways and provide insightful tactical advice to them.
Additionally, these coaches can come up with plans designed to bring out their intended messages in a way that the players will identify with. In fact, research has shown that most players tend to emulate the style of life that their coaches live. Coaches can therefore capitalize on this to pass across educative lessons to the players in a manner that they can identify with. With the war on substance abuse seemingly getting out of hand, coaches might be the catalysts that will bring the much-needed change to the youth. (Mallette)
In most cases, coaches who adopt the “play to master” mode end up creating a strong bond with the players. With such kind of a bond, the relationship turns from coach-player in to a player-confidant mode. Once such kind of a relationship is created, it then becomes easier for the player to confide to the coach their greatest fears.
In fact, it is not surprising to learn that most of the youth today do not have any trusted person that they can confide in. For fear of reprisals, young people tend to endure their pain and end up finding consolation in substance abuse. By making coaches their confidants, these players are able to escape this snare and end up becoming responsible people in the society. (Mallette)
If coaches provide support and make the players feel that they are important, then the players are more likely to enjoy the game and in turn, they will adopt a positive belief about their ability and create inter team friendships. By creating a positive belief about their abilities, the players will not feel pressured to perform something that might create low-self esteem, which has been identified as a cause of substance abuse among young people.
Additionally, the adoption of this mode of coaching makes players free with their coach and results to making him their confidant. Once this is accomplished, the coach can use his influence and power to counsel the players and make them avoid pitfalls that might arise on their way. Indeed, coaches have the power to determine the kind of people the players become in the society whether they choose professional sporting or not. (Ommundsen et al 111)
Conclusion
The relationship between coaches and their players has been a subject of research for many years. The findings of these researches have proved beyond doubt that coaches wield a lot of influence on their players. By using the right coaching tactics, coaches can help in instilling the correct values on the players and avoid situations where players end up in substance abuse.
If the right approach is used, players can get to trust their coaches and in turn reveal to them things that they cannot even reveal to their own parents. By using their influence, coaches can use this opportunity to counsel the players and help them to avoid engaging in antisocial behavior. If it is used in the right manner, coaching might be the solution to substance abuse that has almost reached catastrophic levels.
Works Cited
Mallette, Wesley. The Power of Influence and the Relationship between Coaches and Athletes, 2010. Web.
Ommundsen, Yngvar, Roberts, Glyn, Lemyre, Pierre-Nicolas, & Miller, Blake. “Parental and Coach Support or Pressure on Psychosocial Outcomes of Pediatric Athletes in Soccer,” Clin J Sport Med, 16:6. (2006) 101-119. Print.
Stephenson, Ben. How Parents and Coaches Influence Youth Footballers, n.d. Web.