John O’Connor, head basketball coach at Holy Family University, was caught on video last week shoving one of his players to the ground with a forearm to the neck. Since the incident occurred, the video has gone viral and caused people nationwide to talk about where the line should be drawn when it comes to coaching athletes (Peak Performance for Coaches). While coaches like Bobby Knight once routinely yelled, cursed, embarrassed, humiliated, and even physically grabbed his players, the reality is that those techniques simply don’t work if you want to motivate players and help them reach their full athletic potential. Unfortunately, a few loose cannons (like Knight) have fooled fans into thinking that the authoritarian, dictatorship leadership style is a winning style.
Coaching players in sports should be viewed no differently than parenting kids at home, leading employees, or teaching kids in the classroom — regardless of the relationship, all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Unfortunately when it comes to sports, some coaches have gotten away with being intimidating toward their players for far too long, at times even crossing the line into physical aggression. Sadly, this type of behavior has often been viewed as “normal” when it comes to coaching, especially when the team wins and it becomes assumed that the aggressive coaching style is the cause of the success.
What Coach O’Connor did was wrong, regardless of how you spin it. A coach should never aggressively put his hands on a player in order to make a point, nor should coaches ever feel as though they need to resort to berating, humiliating, or intimidating their athletes. Coaches who do these things are the problem, not the kids who are trying to master the drill! Aggressive coaches do not help with team chemistry and team cohesion, but instead create a team atmosphere that threatens and intimidates players. Instead, more effective and healthier coaching approaches include the following:
- Unconditional respect toward players
- Positive reinforcement and praise when teaching players skills
- Open communication, including strong listening skills
- Team rules and penalties developed by using fairness and integrity
- Opportunities for players to offer their ideas and suggestions to better team culture and cohesion
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