2 Do female athletes prefer certain styles of coaching?

Show description|Hide description

The image shows the legs and training shoes of a person standing on a road. The road has two arrows painted on, one arrow points to the left and one arrow points to the right.

In all relationships there are decisions to be made, and how these decisions are made and who makes them will be central to a relationship’s success. There are many different styles of coaching and leadership, but two extremes would be described as autocratic and democratic and expressed in Table 1.

In Activity 1 you will explore whether female and male athletes differ in the coaching style that they prefer.

Activity 1 Don’t tell me what to do!

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

Watch the video where Dr Emma Ross from The Well HQ [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] explains the coaching style generally preferred by females. Then answer the following questions:

1. What involvement do female athletes tend to prefer to have?
2. Does Emma attribute these preferences to differences in the male and female brain?

Download this video clip.Video player: boc_sfps_1_session8_activity1.mp4

Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

EMMA ROSS

Research suggests that female athletes tend to prefer a more democratic approach to the coaching process. Now what that means is they want to co-create parts of the coaching process.

They want to explore the reasons behind some of the decisions that a coach is making versus males who might tend to value a more autocratic approach. That is, the coach will tell them what to do and they will follow those instructions.

So understanding what female and male athletes really appreciate in terms of your coaching style can be really helpful in you getting the best out of them. There is really no such thing as a male and a female brain.

And we are all shaped by our genetics and our biology, that’s the nature part. And our environment our upbringing, our education and society, that’s the nurture part. And so we are all beautifully unique. But what the research helps us to understand is where women and men tend on average to differ in how they think and behave.

End transcript

Download

 

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Discussion

1. Emma explains that research shows that female athletes prefer a democratic relationship with their coach where they co-create the coaching process. They like to explore the rationale behind coaching decisions in comparison to males who she claims, are happier to be told and follow instructions.
2. Emma quickly dismisses the view of different male and female brains and explains differences in thoughts and behaviour are shaped by both nature (genetics and biology) and nurture (environment, upbringing, society and education).

It should be said that with regard to the psychology of sport and exercise that males and females have much more in common than differences (Roberts, Ferguson and Mosewich, 2019). However, as a coach it is important to be flexible and understand that female and male athletes perhaps appreciate and respond to different coaching styles, as this can have a significant impact on their performance.

You’ll now go back to the coach-athlete relationship and see whether there is a difference in this relationship between male and female athletes.