Who Likes to Practice? Does a Coach Influence Liking Practice?
Why do so many athletes hate to practice?
What a question to ask. Talk about a loaded question to ask. There could be many answers to this question, and it can bring up many different thoughts and feelings. This post aims to offer some thoughts, but at the end of the day it is up to each individual athlete to answer this question for themselves. With that said, let’s dive in and see what we can explore.
One reason that athletes may hate to practice is culture and how we celebrate mastery and not the effort it takes to get there. When we see sports and arts figures, what we see is their excellence and not the work behind their excellence. We can compare accomplishments and think we will never get there in addition to not thinking that they put in blood, sweat, and tears and had struggles. Another reason might be that we don’t like to practice what we are not good at because it is hard or we don’t want to look inadequate. Additionally, practice doesn’t quite have the same energy as competition or having cheering supporters. It is you (and teammates) out there just doing drills and practicing skills without that additional energy. Finally, when it comes to possible themes, practicing can feel repetitive. While practicing skills and honing them is essential to mastery, it isn’t the same as a game or event. It is doing the same thing over and over again, and it can be easy to check out.
Then there are individual differences that we each bring to practice. How do we see practice? Do we enjoy the chance to get better or find it tedious? This list of questions can go on, but the point is that our perspective influences why we may hate to practice. This also means evaluating the factors that influence motivation whether from the perspective of Self-Determination Theory or the Sport Commitment Model, for example.
And finally, there are external factors to consider. Is the place we practice a place we like? Do we like our teammates? Again the questions can continue but to help transition to the next part the final questions are about our coach. Do we like our coach? Does the coach do a good job of engaging us? Does the coach meet our needs? Coaches potentially have a large role in whether we hate or enjoy practice time.
Does a coach potentially contribute to an athlete not liking to practice?
Potentially, yes, but it is not the only factor. Below is a quick discussion of how a coach could factor in. Again, let’s be clear, not blaming the coach. There are many amazing coaches out there. It is about finding a good fit with a coach.
The alignment between coach and athlete is one important factor to consider. Gullu et al. (2020) highlight that the coach-athlete relationship is important in individual sports and the leadership and orientation of the coach are important for their athletes. There needs to be some sort of solid relationship between coaches and athletes that includes respect, trust, and an understanding of needs. If that is not there, showing up to practice to see someone one doesn’t align with will not be productive.
Building upon having a strong relationship, poor preparation could contribute to dreading practice. There exists an explicit and implicit understanding depending on the coach and athlete that the coach comes prepared so that the athlete can work towards improvement and their goals. If a coach doesn’t have a plan for the day or doesn’t understand how to improvise based on the needs of the athlete, what motivation does the athlete have to come to practice? Take triathlon, if the coach doesn’t understand the concepts of periodization or recovery and apply them accordingly problems arise. Athletes expect coaches to help them make permanent changes, not temporary ones, through well-planned practices. They also expect that a coach will have them do drills that apply the idea of transfer of learning so that when it comes to game time they will be prepared.
Finally, coaches teaching practices need to reflect an understanding of their athletes from their skill level, to individual needs, to team needs (if applicable), etc. Davis et al. (2018) concluded from their results that the coach-athlete relationship quality may have an impact on cognitive sub-components of performance as well as the appraisal of potentially stress demands. It is these types of nuances that have an impact and is a highly complex type of understanding. Take implicit and explicit methods of teaching. If a coach is working with a highly skilled athlete and tends to favor explicit teaching methods there may be a misalignment and the athlete may find practice to be less than helpful.
Blurred image of person using two ropes for training.
take action today moment:
Take some time to reflect on how you view practice. If you are a person who does not like to practice, ask yourself why? Write down your reasons. Are there reasons on there you can control, like your own attitude? If, for example, it is your attitude or perspective about practice that is influencing your opinion try to practice reframing the value of practice. Look at practice as a chance to refine your skills or an opportunity to try something new and challenge yourself. You can also look at the external factors like a coach. Is your coach a good fit? If you are a person who likes to practice, also write down your thoughts and reasons and build on them. You may be able to help inspire others who need some inspiration.
Learn More About Finding a Good Coach:
What Makes a Good Coach? 10 Qualities Athletes Should Look For
How to find the right athletics coach for you
References
Davis, L., Appleby, R., Davis, P., Wetherell, M., & Gustafsson, H. (2018). The role of coach-athlete relationship quality in team sport athletes’ psychophysiological exhaustion: implications for physical and cognitive performance. Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(17), 1985-1992.
Gullu, S., Keskin, B., Ates, O., & Hanbay, E. (2020). Coach-athlete relationship and sport passion in individual sports. Acta Kinesiological, 14(1), 9-15.