Engaging Athletes: The Power of Asking Instead of Telling
Similar to a classroom setting, most youth athletes are used to the dynamic of being talked AT instead of talked WITH at practice and in games. The biggest difference between the two forms of instruction is that when we talk WITH athletes, it implies they're actively participating in the conversation. I was lucky enough to experience the difference at an early age because my coach asked us questions and created an environment where we could ask questions as well.
As I work with more and more teams and coaches, it's clear that most coaches and players are comfortable with the one-way street of being talked AT. The coach gives a directive, the athletes attempt to execute. If the athlete fails, the coach is quick to say something along the lines of, " You're doing this and you need to do this instead." "You're dropping your hands, keep them up!"
Although the information given may be correct, what develops is a dependency on someone else telling the athlete what to do at every turn. Their brains are literally in passive mode rather than in active mode. All of the sudden it's game day and you've got kids looking down at you in the 3rd base box like you've got the answer to what they should do on the next pitch. As a college coach, it became very clear to me which players were coming from a "Talk At" environment or a "Talk With" organization. The athletes who haven't taken an active role in their development lack body awareness, game knowledge, and the ability to make quick adjustments and learn on the fly. They often look to us for a nod of approval after completing a drill or a task. The focus becomes; is coach pleased with what I did? In reality, they will never play against the coach so why should coach approval ever be the focus of successful fielding, pitching, etc?
We can change this dynamic within our own practice setting by doing 2 simple things. The first is ASK players questions, and the second is LISTENING. Ultimate learning and retention takes place when the student is an active participant in the lesson. This rings true in the classroom, on the field, and in the work environment. The next time you're working with an athlete and they make a mistake ask this simple question and wait..." What did you feel on that?" They may not get there the first time on their own but instead of just telling them, walk them to the answer. If we ask them to slow their minds down and really think about their movements, coverage, pitch location, etc. than we create athletes who can make adjustments on their own and athletes who develop a sense of ownership over their training.
The mentality of: "coach wants me to work on this because he said it's a weakness" TO "I need to work on this because I know I struggle with it and I know I can improve."
By asking HOW and WHY a lot more at practice we will create athletes who feel they are a part of the process and understand that they are the first in control of their training and success. Taking this idea one step further, give your team the opportunity to pick what they should work on one day at practice. Giving teams a say in training is another powerful way for them to feel control, accountability, and ownership over their work.
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