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Player-Centric Coaching—7 Ways to Improve Your Players’ Learning

Player-centric coaching is a coaching technique to help athletes becomes the best version of themselves without necessarily putting them under pressure.

More than 80% of the time, coaches focus on winning, which is a good thing anyway. But sometimes what this does is make your players unaware of their cognitive abilities. And often, these unique qualities are not put to optimal use.

On one hand, if they’re winning competitions, it’s good. But on the other hand, which is much more important, individual development should be encouraged.

Knowing the cognitive abilities of your players allows you to understand how to help them maximize their potential.

In this article, we’ll be focusing on ways you can improve your players’ learning process in sports and in life. But first, let’s find out what player-centric coaching means below.

What is Player-Centric Coaching?

Player-centric coaching is the grooming of athletes physically and mentally to achieve a goal, all along, putting their interest first over your dominance or preference as a coach. It is a fine balance between coaching a player to success and putting their welfare at heart.

So you may ask, what do you need to do to become a player-centric coach?

Let’s find out below:

Have a vision – As a player-centric coach, you need to have a vision for your player and have core values or principles you live by. When you have targets for your player, it’s easier to reach your goals quicker.

Understand your player’s personality – The next thing to do as a player-centric coach is understand your player’s personality. What personality trait do they possess? Who do they like to hang out with, what kind of conversation do they enjoy having? You can do this by observing their activities on and off the field.

Develop them in bits – I understand how motivated and eager you are as a coach to see your player doing great exploits. But if you want to be a player-centric coach, quit pressuring them to deliver all at once, or make them lose their confidence because they don’t meet expectations.

Rather, take time to build them in tiny little bits. For example, you can start by helping them build a helpful habit such as reading. To make that encouraging, you can let them read 1 chapter of a book per day. That isn’t too much work, right? And in the long run, the benefits are unquantifiable on and off the field.

Have an exit plan for them – What this means is providing some opportunities for your players to further pursue their career upon completion of their training with you. This can be introducing them to sports scholarships, or sports programs where your player stands a chance of becoming an established athlete.

Back to finding out ways you can improve your player’s learning in sports.

Ways to Improve Your Players Learning in Sports

Sometimes, athletes give their best performance when they are allowed some autonomy in their learning. While trial and error may seem like the long route to learning, a player-centric coach does not mind. They understand how important it is for their players to figure things out on their own.

1. Let them have their way

Often, players look up to you as a coach for the next instruction even when they have an idea what to do at that point in time. Usually, this is because they do not want to be faulted if anything goes wrong, or an approach didn’t work.

2. Have deep conversations about their career

Sit them down and ask them what they intend to get out of their sports career. Do they have bigger dreams? What is their reason for going into sport? Offer some guidance or advice where necessary.

These conversations will make them feel heard and understood. And for once, the focus is shifted from hammering hard on opponents and winning to what they truly want or care about.

3. Pay attention to their body language

Sometimes, your players communicate through body language. As a player-centric coach, you must pay attention to seemingly little details like this. You’ll be needing these details to fine-tune and groom them to become their best versions.

Are they slouching? It means they feel terrible when they get something wrong. Are they not their best self? It means something else is troubling them. Are they not in the present? It means they are distracted by thoughts.

4. Engage them in critical decision making activities

Get them to solve a difficult game puzzle all by themselves. Or organize your sport activity in a way that stimulates them mentally than physically.

Take note of the outcome of such activity and make your deduction from it with the aim of helping your player improve in necessary areas.

5. Create room for self improvement

Let them express themselves from the inside. Take them on a self reflection journey. Ask them what they think about their career or performance after each game.

Teach them introspection; to listen to their inner self. Let them figure out what they think they need to improve upon themselves. You only have to be available to guide them on the right path.

Giving your player this little power might be all they need for the bigger stage and conquer, sometimes.

6. Let them practice on their own

Encourage them to practice on their own and on their own terms. Your Players will learn more practicing on their own than having to wait for you to dole out instructions.

Yes, team practice or training is still important, and you’re not scrapping that out. You’re only allowing your player to go on a self mastery spree. It’s 5x more effective than training as a team.

7. Focus on their holistic wellbeing

As a player-centric coach, you want to focus on your player’s mental, physical, emotional, social, and even spiritual wellbeing.

These are the components that make up their overall wellbeing. And until they’re fulfilled in some or all of those aspects, they might not give their best in their career.