In my previous posts, I shared the wisdom of legendary basketball coach – John Wooden. Cheerleading coaches (and everyone, really) can learn a lot from this sage fellow.  Coach Wooden had his own ideas about criticism – who should do the criticizing, under what circumstances and how.

Yelling and screaming at a cheerleader might get the athlete’s attention and compliance but the price can be embarrassment and resentment.  Coach Wooden was clear that he never wanted to embarrass or humiliate any athlete.   If a coach is clear about the purpose of criticism, this is easier.  

According to Coach Wooden, “The purpose of criticism is to correct, enhance, educate, modify behavior, or bring about positive change.”  He recognized that it takes great skill to do this well and that too often, inexperienced coaches unwittingly hurt their athletes in providing criticism. 

A coach will be most effective is he or she offers feedback in a positive environment – when something good has happened such as a good practice.  An example is: “Good practice.  You were really focused and it paid off.  Let’s find a way to help you maintain that kind of focus all the time.  Any ideas?”  Here you are actively engaging and involving the athlete in a problem-solving way. 

Similarly, praise can be especially effective when a cheerleader or the whole team has experienced a set-back or is in need of support.  In this case an example might be, “I know you all hoped to get first place in the competition today; please know that you ranked first in sportsmanship, poise, and grace and if I could, I would give you all a trophy for that!” 

Only the coach should be allowed to offer criticism; other athletes can be taught to offer support and encouragement when someone makes a mistake or isn’t performing up to par. Athlete to athlete razzing or criticism can be destructive to the team as a whole. 

Coach Wooden instructed his team members to always compliment and thank team mates who helped them succeed.  In cheerleading, an example could be a flyer thanking her bases and backs for their steady and strong support or a tumbler acknowledging the calm watchful eye of a spotter. 

Much of this information is from a book written by John Wooden called Wooden on Leadership, published by McGraw Hill.

Tags: cheerleader, cheerleaders, Cheerleading, cheerleading coaching, coach, Coaching, John Wooden

This entry was posted on Monday, June 28th, 2010 at 2:14 pm by Dr. Pam and is filed under Coaching. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.