How Coaches Can Help Athletes Have Great Character
We all know character matters. But how do coaches affect the character of their athletes? How do we make a positive impact on who our athletes are now and who they will become in the future?
In a dissertation titled “Coaching for Character: Mechanisms of Influence on Adolescent Athletes Sportsmanship,” Nicole D. Bolter wrote:
“Coaches who act like good sports, reinforce sportsmanlike behaviors, teach athletes how to show good sportsmanship, and avoid emphasizing winning over being a good sport were related to how athletes behave toward teammates and opponents… Coaches are important sources of social influence for encouraging good sportsmanship among their athletes and thereby helping youth achieve positive developmental outcomes often highlighted as long-term benefits of sport participation.”
We have a significant role in helping our athletes become people who compete and interact with other people from a place of positive moral character. All coaches want their athletes to excel and win, but character should always come first. According to Matthew L. Davidson, Ph.D, some of the ways we can positively influence the character of the athletes we work with are:
︎Decide the values that are important to your team. If you want a team of honest, fair, and respectful players, discuss what that looks like and what it doesn’t look like.
Teach core values in creative ways. Along with direct instruction, use team discussions, real-life examples, hypothetical situations, and other opportunities to practice using them.
Provide time during team and/or individual meetings to help players construct a personal vision of their performance and moral identity, who they ultimately want to be as players and as people.
Discuss the importance of a strong work ethic with players.
Provide regular opportunities for players to set specific, measurable goals in all aspects of their lives (e.g., sport, school, character, and life). Help players develop skills to track progress toward their goals.
Help athletes make connections between performance character and moral character by providing regular opportunities throughout the season to reflect on them (e.g., “How can I be a competitive athlete with integrity?”).
Define and practice the specific social and emotional skills required for living out the core values in and out of performance contexts (e.g., as a team, create strategies for refusing performance enhancing drugs; proactively develop strategies for controlling anger, handling peer pressure, and being respectful; encourage players to become involved in leadership and service learning opportunities in the school and community).
My wife and colleague, Coach Nev Taylor, and I are in complete agreement with the researchers I’ve quoted above. We know the character of our athletes is of utmost importance. We believe positive character attributes are more meaningful than physical skills for the athletes we work with at Blockout Academy, Blockout Strength and Conditioning, and Athletic Foundations Inc.
We want the kids we work with to excel in their sports, but we also want them to be decent humans who have integrity, a strong work ethic, and healthy amounts of respect for everyone they engage with as athletes, students, and members of their communities.
We will continue having conversations with our athletes, other coaches, and parents about the importance of character formation. And we will continue encouraging athletes to be mindful of the ways they treat themselves, others, and the places they live, learn, and train.
I’d also love for you to read a few of Coach Nev’s posts with her thoughts and observations on why character matters:
Character Matters Part Two: Why Is There a Culture of Mediocrity
Character Matters Part Three: We Need More Accountability
If you have thoughts on why character matters in athletics, please share!