Successful coaches must have the ability to work with many different types of people. There is not a one size fits all for coaching female athletes! The fact that everyone is different is extremely important when it comes to coaching women and girls. The 4 factors which affect personality include extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience. It is important that the coach understands how the athlete’s personality affects her thinking and behavior. An athlete’s personality also plays an important role in the types of goals they set and their confidence when going into a new sport.
GOALS:
Goals are likely to be set to complement an individual’s personality. For example, if an athlete’s performance is tied to extrinsic motivators, one of their goals may be focused around improving that.
Before a coach decides how they want to teach a new player, they must grasp an understanding of this person’s personality and ultimately what type of goals they want to reach. We want to create an environment for our players where they feel that they can be their true selves.
CONFIDENCE AND CONTROL:
People with a growth mindset believe that they can influence their own growth through hard work and determination. They take responsibility for the progress that they make and don’t fall victim to the fallacy that their skills and abilities are out of their control. Introverted personalities might not debut this ability until they feel that they’re “good enough” to display. Coaches can be the support they need in feeling “good enough” and work with them to develop a more growth mindset.
ACTIVITY:
A fantastic way to understand both yourself and your player’s personality type is by completing a personality test. Here is a list of some that can be given to your players as something to complete in their spare time.
