Chapter 10: Coaching Effectiveness

Question 1

What are two main coaching models that are used to measure coaching effectiveness?

Answer 1

1. Horn’s Working Model of Coaching Effectiveness (2008)
2. Cote’ and Gilbert’s Definition of Coaching Effectiveness (2009)

Question 2

Describe Horn’s Working Model of Coaching Effectiveness.

Answer 2

This model was designed to identify coach characteristics and behaviors that affect the psychosocial development of athletes, as opposed to defining effective coaching based on winning performances. The model suggests that a host of external factors affect the coach’s expectations and goals, which have a direct impact on coach behavior and an indirect impact on athletes’ self-perceptions and sport performance. Although there are many strengths to this model, it intentionally eliminated factors associated with pedagogical skill, thus not accounting for a large portion of the role of the coach.

Question 3

Based on Cote’ and Gilbert’s Model of Coaching Effectiveness, what are the 3 components of effective coaching?

Answer 3

1. A coach’s knowledge
2. The coaching context
3. Athlete outcomes

Question 4

What is Explicit Knowledge of a coach?

Answer 4

That which can be easily articulated, including providing clear instructions, explaining how to perform skills and rules of the game, and being able to make tactical decisions (Nash & Collins, 2006).

Question 5

What is Tacit Knowledge?

Answer 5

Interpersonal and intrapersonal knowledge, such as the coach’s ability to read the emotions of players, to consider how the addition of a new player will affect the team dynamics, or to self-examine his or her own level of frustration and how that might influence player behavior. It is the combination of these three knowledge areas that is often described as the “art and science” of coaching.

Question 6

Based on the International Sport Coaching Framework (ICCE et al., 2013) what are the categories of coaching functions?

Answer 6

1. Conducting practices and structuring competition
2. Reading and reacting to the field
3. Building relationships
4. Shaping the environment
5. Learning and reflecting
6. Setting the vision and strategy

Question 7

What is the definition of a Technical Skill?

Answer 7

Physical sport skills that are often associated with an underlying motor program. These skills are frequently measured in terms of consistency, accuracy, and efficiency. They include movements such as dribbling, throwing, passing, and serving.

Question 8

What is the definition of a Tactical Skill?

Answer 8

Tactical skills are sport skills that involve decision making. In other words, athletes must decide when to do what (e.g., shot selection, play calling).

Question 9

Martens (2018) suggests that coaches enhance tactical skills through the three elements of the tactical triangle, what are those skills?

Answer 9

1. Ability to Read the Situation
2. Tactical Knowledge
3. Decision Making Skills

Question 10

When teaching skills to athletes what are the 3 main ways to teach?

Answer 10

1. Direct Instruction: In direct instruction, the coach explains or demonstrates a skill to athletes, typically outside of regular play (e.g., explaining segments of a skill prior to practicing).
2. Experiential Learning: Experiential learning is a more advanced pedagogical approach. An example of experiential learning is the guided conversation a coach might have with players during a shooting drill in which they are asked to engage in play, then identify what actions influenced their shots, then connect those choices to outcomes, and then take those ideas back into play in the next round.
3. Constraints-Based Learning: An example of constraints-based learning might be using a small-sided games approach in soccer, where two teams of two players compete within a small section of the field in an attempt to work together to pass and shoot on small corner goals. By placing constraints on the field size, the placement of the goal, and the number of teammates and opponents, the coach creates a situation where cooperation, movement, and passing are essential, thus reinforcing skilled performance.

Question 11

When giving feedback to an athlete, what are 6 things to consider?

Answer 11

Focus on one or two main points at a time.

Deliver clear, concise messages.

Be specific about what the athlete did well and should do next time.

Be sincere in the delivery of feedback.

Check for understanding.

Use a combination of instructional feedback and motivational feedback.

Question 12

What are the 4 C’s of building athlete-coach relationships?

Answer 12

Closeness refers to a feeling of trust between the athlete and coach; it is an affective experience (e.g., an athlete who trusts the training plan a coach provides).

Commitment expresses the desire by both the coach and athlete to maintain their relationship long term; it is more of a cognitive assessment of the relationship (e.g., a coach who plans to move up competitive levels as an athlete progresses).

Complementarity reflects the ways in which the coach and athlete cooperate with one another; it reflects the behavioral dimension of the relationship (e.g., a coach and athlete who joke around at practice during downtime).

Co-orientation is a reflection of how well each member of the relationship can accurately assess the other member’s closeness, complementarity, and commitment (e.g., an athlete’s ability to predict how the coach would rate their closeness as a dyad).

Question 13

What are the 4 categories of coaching by age based on Côté, Baker, and Abernethy’s (2007) work? Also describe them.

Answer 13

1. Youth sport participation coaching: development of gross motor skills (e.g. skipping, riding, catching) is taking place, limiting the ability to perform complex athletic tasks.
2. Adolescent and adult participation coaching: focus on physical and psychological skill development as a path to lifelong physical activity. As athletes age, their physical development allows for greater training volume and an increase in cognitive demands, which allows for more complex instruction on tactical skills.
3. Young adolescent performance coaching: encouraged to establish a foundation of understanding of the competitive requirements, while still allowing for fun and enjoyment as appropriate for the age and maturation of the athletes
4. Adolescent and adult performance coaching: considerable planning to achieve consistent elite performance while providing optimal rest and recovery to athletes.

Question 14

What are the 4 C’s that provide more detail and consistency in how athlete outcomes are examined by Côté and Gilbert (2009)?

Answer 14

1. Competence
2. Confidence
3. Connection
4. Character

Question 15

What is the definition of a Formal Coach Evaluation?

Answer 15

A standard metric of performance against which performance can be judged. Examples of this type of evaluation in coaching would be annual performance reviews, credentialing assessments, and formal observations.

Question 16

Name 3 Examples of standard coaching evaluations?

Answer 16

Coach Behavioral Assessment System (CBAS; Smith, Smoll, & Hunt, 1977)

Arizona State University Observation Instrument (ASUOI; Lacy & Darst, 1984)

Coach Analysis Intervention System (CAIS; Cushion, Harvey, Muir, & Nelson, 2012)