The Art of Teaching

The Art of Teaching

In response to the recent exposure of Rutgers head basketball Coach Mike Rice’s questionable teaching tactics and poor judgment, EHF wanted to address the issue of different coaching tactics and its effect on a player’s response. We have all seen it, a coach on the side line of a football or basketball game in a players face screaming at him only God knows what. Bobby Knight, Jon Gruden, Bo Pelini and many more could be seen screaming and cursing at players and officials alike. Many of these coaches are successful in their fields despite what can be perceived as unconventional coaching methods. What many of us don’t think about when watching these coaches perform is for the amount of yelling we see them do in a game, imagine how much yelling is done in practice. Many players perceive their coaches excessive yelling as passion and try to look past it towards the coach’s message. For some players, getting yelled at by their coach motivates them to do better, challenging their ego. For other players this outward aggression by the coach forces them to withdraw or become overly tentative with their play for fear of making a mistake and being reprimanded. Some coaches remain neutral in their approach to athletes and allow their assistants to be the vocal disciplinarians. Coaches such as Tom Osborne appeared to remain calm and almost stoic on the sidelines giving his rare outbursts much more levity.  Often it comes down to which approach works for which athlete, and a good coach recognizes that different things motivate different players.

               Bill Walsh, former legendary head coach for the San Francisco 49’ers, winner of four Super Bowl championships and author of the book “Finding the Winning Edge” talks extensively about the process of teaching. Here is an excerpt from his book, a must read for all coaches.

Being a Teacher

No aspect of coaching is more important than teaching. While the actual teaching is often delegated to one of your assistant coaches, the primary responsibility for ensuring that it is done, and done well, is yours, and yours alone.

It is absolutely critical that you do not neglect your responsibility in this area. If you cannot or do not teach your players and staff the things they need to know, even performing the rest of your responsibilities well will not be enough to guarantee that the team will be successful.

The admonition “for the want of a nail in the wall” is as true in football as in any other situation. Without properly executed fundamentals, the entire system can break down. Accordingly, you must ensure that every player gets the information and hands-on instruction that he needs to develop and refine those skills that are required for his position.

In this regard, several steps are involved in the teaching process, including deciding how (i.e., preparing a plan) the material will be taught, explaining the information to the player, demonstrating (showing) the skill to the player, having the player practice the skill, critiquing the player’s performance, and having the player continue to practice under your supervision.

You should recognize that individuals often have distinctly different responses to the learning process. As such, you must adjust your teaching approach and methods to account for individual differences.

Among the steps that you can take to ensure that the teaching process for the team is appropriate are the following:

Use a straightforward, broad-based vocabulary that allows you to communicate in very specific, descriptive terms.

Employ clear, concise language that ensures that your explanations to and exchanges with other individuals will be clearly understood.

Ensure that the information you provide and the instruction you offer on a given topic accounts for a wide range of knowledge and comprehension among the members of your intended audience.

Ensure that your approach to teaching a particular subject matter accounts for the fact that some members of the group to whom you are speaking may be more receptive and more ready to learn than others. The critical factor in this regard is how important an individual perceives the information to be, relatively speaking.

Demonstrate enthusiasm and passion for the material you are presenting. What you say and how you say it can help display your steadfast concern for a particular subject. As the head coach, one of your responsibilities is to generate interest in and excitement for a given matter among your players. The most effective way to accomplish such an objective is to utilize a high level of energy and show ardent enthusiasm for the subject when discussing it with your players. For example, in 1996, staff presentations to the 49er players had become somewhat redundant. Although these presentations were thorough and detailed, they did not generate the desired level of energy and enthusiasm among the players. Despite the fact that the team was playing well at the time, the presentations didn’t appear to have the same aura they had had in the past. After reviewing the situation with the staff, the decision was made that I should address the team and discusses each player’s assignments and techniques on each play. I often ended my description of a particular play by pinpointing two or three key players and challenging them by reminding them that on Monday morning after the game, all their coaches and teammates would be able to judge how well they had carried out their duties. These challenges had to be tailored to each individual player. On one hand, when talking to a less-experienced offensive guard, I might explain to him that he has the quickness and ability required to get the job done, and remind him what to do next if he loses his man, as every blocker will do on occasion. For example, on a trapping route, I might tell him, “Step with your near foot. Don’t let your pad raise above the level of your stance. Keep your head up and take an inside leg out from under your man. All we want to see is his cleats facing toward the sky. See if you can hit him so clean he does a forward somersault.” On the other hand, in the case of Jerry Rice, one of San Francisco’s greatest players, I might state,” Jerry, you are the greatest blocker to ever play your position. This is a guy you’ve got to get. When we view the tapes Monday, I expect everyone to continue to say, ‘This is the greatest blocker of all time at this position.'”

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Ensure that your relationship with the team has a light, relaxed side. Keep in mind that while humor can bring people together, it must be self-effacing and not at anyone’s expense.

Observe the members of the group while you are speaking and determine whether they are paying attention. If, for any reason, the attention span of the group is not what it should be, take steps to remedy the situation. Emphasize to the group that note taking is strongly encouraged. This practice not only helps them to thoroughly recall the information that you presented, it enables them to be better prepared to connect the details of one point to another and one teaching session to another.

Ensure that the teaching process for a given subject accounts for those individuals who may struggle or fail to keep up with the material or the expected schedule of learning.

Make certain that any theory, concept or precept you initially offer to introduce a particular topic is thoroughly comprehended by your audience before you discuss more complex aspects of the subject matter.

Be aware of and sensitive to the limitations of a group of individuals to learn a given task or subject.

Employ a somewhat unpredictable presentation style. Varying your delivery can help enhance or at least maintain the attention level of your audience. It can also be used to place a specific level of emphasis on a given topic. Keep the length of your presentation an appropriate duration. Be alert for a loss of concentration by members of your audience. Speaking for too long can render your entire presentation ineffectual.

Organize and give your presentation in sequential “building blocks.” It is better to begin a discussion with an overview of basic factors and then to progressively develop the topic to more complex levels.

Review your presentation of specific material constantly. Revise as necessary to keep your delivery current and fresh.

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Wars may be fought with weapons but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and the man who leads that gain the victory.

General George S. Patton, Jr. Commander, United States Third Army World War II

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Encourage audience participation in your presentation as long as such involvement is appropriate and timely. Audience participation should be limited to given situations.

Employ visual aids to illustrate a point, to add variety to your presentation, to enhance the attention span of the audience, and to place specific emphasis as intended. Your presentations must be graphic and animated, yet detailed and thorough, to energize players and stimulate them to perform at their highest level. Some players are extremely motivated on their own, while others need more encouragement from you.

Ensure that members of your audience have confidence in the material that you are presenting to a point where their desire to learn the material and to be better prepared to achieve their (individual or team) goals is enhanced.

Educate your athletes to the highest levels possible. Far too often, the “art” of coaching is lost when coaches fail to realize the depth to which the game should be and must be taught. Keep in mind the thoughts of Sun-Tzu, the renowned military strategist, in his classic work—The Art of

War—who concluded that with more sophistication comes more control. Furthermore, with sophistication occurs visualization beyond common concepts and progress toward the path of perfection. Setting Standards of Performance and Behavior Setting a standard of performance and play often comes down to an attention to detail. The focus on details cements the foundation that establishes a standard of play. The simplest execution of procedures symbolizes the commitment of the players to the organization and the organization to the players. Details, such as shirt tails in, never being seated on the field, helmets in hands (when not participating), control of profanity, no smoking on premises, etc., all contribute (if only symbolically) to the commitment to high standards that is visible to everyone.  

Bill Walsh shows a great deal of knowledge and understanding when it comes to the art of teaching. The underlying message he gives throughout his book is that being positive and praising an athlete will always garner more results than being negative and berating an athlete. This is a lesson that every coach should learn. One of EHF Footballs core beliefs is that every student should be treated the same way we would treat our own kids, with respect, love and empathy. This is the only way to insure that the athletes have a positive learning experience.