Kao Loi Thai Boxing

I recently ran the third of our Coaching Workshops at NCCMA looking at types of feedback, and specifically coach verbal feedback and it's effect on the performer.

We began the day with 6 attendees who had to coach each other to throw a tennis ball in the air and catch it in the nape of their neck.  We had a performer and coach, and an observer whose role was to assess the effects of the coach's instruction on the performer.  Notes were made and then we began to break down verbal feedback.

We first looked at different performer learning styles, Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Pragmatist, Activist, Theorist, and Reflector.  All of these preferences determine how to best communicate with the athlete.

We looked at Positive feedback (focus on strengths), Negative feedback (focus on weaknesses), Neutral feedback (observations), and Value feedback (observations mixed with coaches feelings).

After experimenting with the above we focused on how to use these types of feedback to regulate, reinforce, and motivate the performer.

We concluded the day by looking at a way of ensuring that an athlete and coach are focusing on the same things during practice, and returning to the original exercise and trying to apply all the above information.

The delegates all enjoyed the workshop and are currently implementing the information into their sessions.