sports coach UK Research Summary 6
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Communicating with Players during
a Match
What can we learn from how elite level coaches communicate with their players during competitive matches?
The answer: well, quite a lot, as a team of academics from France, the UK and Australia found out in new
research published in 2013.
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sports coach UK Research Summary 6 – Communicating with Players during a Match
The Theory
The researchers identified
that the majority of coaching
research considers coach
behaviour during training
sessions. They found coach
behaviour during matches is
often overlooked, hence the
need for this new study.
The academics worked with
six elite level French rugby
union coaches (five male, one
female) from the national
under-21, France A women’s
and France amateur teams.
The coaches’ in-match
behaviour was monitored
during world championship
or European championship
matches.
The researchers recognised
that coach behaviour is
influenced by things that take
place at a wider level than
simply the competitive match
itself. So, to ensure they could
fully understand why the
coaches communicated in the
ways they did, they
monitored their behaviour in
a number of different ways.
These included:
An in-depth interview one week before the
match where the coaches talked about their
typical in-match communications and behaviour
A five-minute interview just before
kick-off to get their intended game strategy
Video recording the coaches on the touchline
and recording their in-match communications
using microphones worn during the match
Video recording the game from the stands so
changes in teams’ performance could be identified
and linked to the coaches’ behaviour at that time
A 45-minute interview one day after the match
where coaches reflected on the moments of
communication that they felt were most important
The researchers analysed
the number of times the
coaches communicated
and at what stage of the
match, how they
communicated, what they
said, their intentions, and
the result of their
communications on the
players.
What they found out is in
one sense not surprising,
but it does provide us
with some interesting tips
that coaches in any sport
may use when
communicating with
players during a match.
sports coach UK Research Summary 6 – Communicating with Players during a Match
What Influences Your Touchline Behaviour?
When reflecting on the match the day afterwards, the
researchers found a number of things were influencing the
coaches’ behaviour. The coaches attributed their coaching
style to their personal characteristics, their own
experiences of rugby and their understanding of their
players.
However, they suggested the commonalities identified
were shaped by the culture of French rugby. For example,
there is a strong culture of providing mainly positive
feedback to players.
What can we learn from this? Coaches’ behaviour is likely
to be influenced by the surroundings in which they find
themselves, but they are also likely to behave in ways that
reflect their individual personalities.
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As we probably could have predicted, there were
commonalities in the coaches’ touchline behaviour, as well
as differences based on their individual coaching styles.
Things the coaches had in common included
communicating more during the most important points of
the match (eg when there was a change in the scoreline),
communicating mostly by shouting or calling to the
players, and providing players with mostly positive
feedback.
Their individual coaching styles were also evident, with
some preferring to communicate while the ball was in
play, others preferring to communicate when the game
had stopped, and a third group communicating at all times.
sports coach UK Research Summary 6 – Communicating with Players during a Match
Adapting to the Situation
In one match, a coach noticed the opponents were
employing aggressive tactics in order to provoke the French
players. The video showed a fight, three penalties and five
entrances by the physio during this period. The coach
immediately passed messages to the physio and a player,
telling them not to react to the provocation, to remain
focused on the game and to stay in the contest.
This communication was effective as, just minutes later, the
video captured another penalty. The French players
controlled their emotions and walked away from the verbal
and physical provocations of their opponents.
In another match, after seeing an opponent forward sin
binned, another coach immediately told the physio to tell the
players to pressure the opposition’s remaining forwards to
tire them out. The coach repeated this message twice with a
player to reinforce the importance of the change in strategy.
The video recording showed the French team having
significant success in the four minutes immediately after this
communication.
What’s really interesting about this example is that the coach
behaved in a way that even he did not expect. In the
interview a week earlier, this coach said his in-match role
would be very limited in terms of communication. Yet the
recording showed him adapting his communications almost
instantly as a specific event unfolded during the match.
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The researchers also proved that coaches adapted their
communications to specific events that unfolded during the
match. They made very quick decisions that changed the
match strategy and resulted in effective periods for their
team.
sports coach UK Research Summary 6 – Communicating with Players during a Match
Learning from the Research
•
•
Don’t stick to a rigid, predefined in-match
strategy – adapt your communications to
specific situations and events that occur during a
match, particularly when these present
opportunities for your team.
Reflect on your in-match communications the
day after a game (or as soon as possible). This
will help you understand what you did, why you
did it and what impact it had on your players.
Ultimately, this can help you prepare for similar
situations in future matches.
The research showed that some coaches’
in-match behaviour is influenced by the culture
of their sport. If coaches in your sport are
influenced in the same way, would changing your
behaviour to differentiate yourself from the
opposition give you a competitive advantage?
The study also recommended actions that could
help improve these elite level coaches’ in-match
communications. No matter what your sport or
level, you may also wish to consider using these
recommendations in your coaching:
•
•
•
Use gestures to communicate with your players
during the match, rather than shouting or calling.
Nominate individual players to receive
instructions during specific points of the match
(eg in rugby union, the hooker may take all
messages that relate to the line-out from the
coach).
Give players feedback that reflects their
performance (although the coaches in this study
gave mainly positive feedback, when negative
feedback was provided on technical errors they
had made, players’ performances subsequently
improved).
Further Reading
If you are interested in finding out more about this
area, this summary is based on the article below:
Mouchet, A., Harvey, S. and Light, R. (2013) ‘A study
on in-match rugby coaches’ communications with
players: A holistic approach’, Physical Education and
Sport Pedagogy.
Other more general reading includes:
Bloom, G. A., Crumpton, R. and Anderson, J.E. (1999)
‘A systematic observation study of the teaching
behaviours of an expert basketball coach’, The Sport
Psychologist, 13 (2): 157–170.
Cassidy, T., Jones, R.L. and Potrac, P. (2008)
Understanding Sports Coaching: The Social, Cultural and
Pedagogical Foundations of Coaching Practice. 2nd
edition. New York: Routledge.
ISBN: 978-0-415442-72-5.
Côté, J., Salmela, J.H. and Russell, S. (1995) ‘The
knowledge of high-performance gymnastic coaches:
Competition and training considerations’, The Sport
Psychologist, 9 (1): 76–95.
Côté, J. and Sedgwick, W.A. (2003) ‘Effective
behaviours of expert rowing coaches: A qualitative
investigation of Canadian athletes and coaches’,
International Sports Journal, 7 (1): 62–77.
Gilbert, W. and Trudel, P. (2001) ‘Learning to coach
through experience: Reflection in model youth sport
coaches’, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 21
(1): 16–34.
© sports coach UK, 2014 Designed and produced by Coachwise Ltd 90872:3c
•
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This research with elite level coaches can provide
coaches at any level in any sport with helpful tips for
communicating with players during competitive
matches. You may wish to consider the following
points: