Praise and reward versus accountability and consequence
As a coach, we walk a fine line between having our players execute what we
have instructed them to do, versus being confident enough to push
themselves to try new things during games. This balance is something that
each coach needs to work out for themselves, and it is one that often
changes within the dynamic of each group. However, I have come to learn
that there are a few key factors that can help to increase the likelihood of this
happening.
Consequences
Firstly, it is important that your players know that if they have been explicitly
instructed to do something within a game that is a non-negotiable then you
are serious about it. What this means is that if they choose not to follow those
directions then there must be consequences. This doesn’t mean that the
consequences need to be extreme or severe, but it needs to be swift and
purposeful. I’ve found that this is often something that is necessary at the
start of each new season with a new group of players. Sometimes it may be
that they are testing the waters. Other times they may be carrying over bad
habits from past teams.
Set the tone
To set the tone early in my teams, if a player doesn’t adhere to a nonnegotiable instruction, then they will be held accountable and there will be a
consequence. During training, they may have to stop the drill and do push
ups or sits ups or the like. However, during a game, they are subbed out.
Their consequence is that they come off of the court and they take a seat
next to me on the bench, literally. Their time on the bench can range from 30
seconds to longer, but it is a moment for them to remember that they didn’t
follow our groups’ instructions, and it is a teaching moment for me to remind
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them one-on-one what I want them to execute on the court. This doesn’t
require aggression or berating or negativity. Instead, it is a physical
interruption of their game and serves to act as a deterrent to avoid breaking
non-negotiables in future. Yes, it may temporarily interfere with your subbing
patterns, but the purpose behind it is to ensure that each of your players on
the court (and bench) understand what is expected of them on the court. The
short-term investment of possibly interrupting your subbing roster is
outweighed by the gains to be made by your player’s correctly understanding
their expectations.
Effort not accuracy
It is crucial that your non-negotiables are based around things that are effortbased or technique-based, NOT around things such as making or missing
shots. Ultimately, using a consequence as a deterrent is a way to ensure that
your players make progress and actually implement the strategies and skills
that you have worked on refining during the week. If you don’t correct them
whilst they are using them during games, then they will continue to use them
inefficiently, ineffectively and incorrectly for the foreseeable future.
Balance is imperative
For the first component to be effective (i.e. consequences as a deterrent), I
firmly believe that you MUST balance that with praise and reward. What this
looks like will differ for each coach and each team, but as behaviourists will
attest, you are more likely to increase the frequency of a specific behaviour
when that behaviour is rewarded as soon as it occurs. The first thing to
decide is what behaviour do you want to increase? Your choice must be
specific, measurable, challenging yet achievable. You must balance your
consequences with frequent verbal praise for what they are doing well,
especially during game situations. Again, this should be effort and technique
based behaviours. This also mustn’t ever be the only skill or behaviour they
have to execute in order to get your praise or positive attention, but instead it
is a bonus; an extra incentive for them to take a risk and go above and
beyond their normal performance. I have heard of parents praising or
rewarding their children on the amount of points they score. If you’re one of
those parents then I suggest that you please take up an individual sport like
tennis or golf. That is not what this is about.
Idea in action
Let me give you an example of how I’ve balanced both of these components
in my daughter’s under 10’s team. The current consequence on our team is
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for incorrect shooting technique. We have been focussing on the correct
shooting technique, including lay up footwork. If a player did not follow this
technique during training, then they faced an immediate consequence (e.g.
30 seconds of push ups, 30 seconds of sit ups etc). During our game on the
weekend, if a player did not use this technique then they were subbed off.
They only spent a short time on the bench, but it was long enough for me to
remind them of the correct technique, and if necessary, get them to show me
it on the sidelines quickly.
Incentives and encouragement
The flip side of this was the incentive for the week. I am conscious to ensure
that my players are praised for effort and not just excellence. I also want to
encourage my players to take calculated risks and be confident enough to
play out of their comfort zone. This is where I set the incentives for the week.
The target this week was for players who used a crossover during the game.
Their reward was a chocolate bar. Sometimes something as small as a
chocolate bar is enough to reassure players that you are in fact serious that
you want them to take a risk at not being ‘perfect’ on the court and to try and
experiment sometimes and play with flair. Players need to be able to have
achievable challenges in order to keep developing, and by offering an extra
incentive for certain behaviours, I am encouraging players to step out of their
comfort zone and do just that.
So, as you prepare for your game this week, consider what you would
implement as your consequence and as your achievable challenge to try and
bring out the best in your players.
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