Keep in mind, you can refer to all previous sections to gain an understanding about the origin of perceptions held by the players. So, scoring poorly does not neccesarily mean you are a poor coach. As is often with an athlete's perception of their own skills, they may overrate or underrate in this section, subject to self-esteem or confidence, or even comfort with the coach at the time of taking the questionnaire.
What needs to be done if the score is EXCELLENT 45-50?
Regardless of performance or confidence in themself or you as coach, no athlete is ever at the top of their game. There is always one way or another to improve. So, if your player scored in this bracket for the skill development section, they can still improve themself and you can still improve yourself. This is perhaps the limitation of the PCP, knowing in sport that there is always room for improvement, once your score in the maximum, you cannot monitor further levels of improvement.
Random practice results in greater cognitive effort and hence better learning of the aspects of a skill. (Sherwood & Lee, 2003). In other words, start to vary the practice sessions. Provide obstacles for them to overcome before making a jumpshot, or playing the ball.
The key to improving on excellent, is more than often providing new challenges or a new setting for the same task.
What needs to be done if the score is GOOD, OR SATISFACTORY 30-44?
Benefits of mental practice come from rehearsing the visual, spatial and symbolic aspects of the task. (Sherwood & Lee, 2003) So, often a player's lack of confidence in their coach's ability to develop their skills, stems from what the coach has told them to do in the past, has not worked. An answer to the problem is visualisation or mental imagery. (for more information, see the links page)
There are countless studies done on Basketball free-throw shooting, or putting in golf that indicate visualising the movement required and the desired action frequently leads to more suceess. So perhaps, tell your players to think "its going in" or "he's gonna catch that pass", a positive outlook on the skill performed may mean a positive perception of your ability to encourage the development of that skill.
(Hutcheson, 2001)
If this proves ineffective, or further skill development perception exercises are required, see below for ways to develop your players' confidence in your ability.
What needs to be done if the score is UNSATISFACTORY OR POOR 10-29?
There are widely known motor control and learning techniques known to help encourage skill development, and therefore result in a better perception of the effectiveness of the coach. Remember, these are adolescents your are dealing with, commonly looking for a scapegoat if something isn't working or gone wrong.
- increase your level of constructive alternatives, instead of ridiculing
what has been attempted. If you jump down on a player after making a
mistake, threatening punishment, the athlete's anxiety rises debilitating
the performance of the next attempt, resulting in another miscue.
(Sherwood & Lee, 2003)
- decrease your overall level of skill feedback, and allow the player a
chance to work on it themself. The player will feel empowered and in
control of their own development, resulting in greater respect for you.
(Santilli, 2002)
- provide written records of progress and effectiveness of group and
individual strategies, and allow the player to see them. It will contribute
toward player focus and the desire to want return your effort.
(Santilli, 2002)
- encourage good sportsmanship and fairplay, so even if performance
of the skills isn't going quite so well, then the athlete's confidence and
self-notion resides on the fact that they conducted themself honourably
and played within the spirit of the game.
(Rosenkrantz, 1997)
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory
Poor
45-50
39-44
30-38
20-29
10-19
questions 89-98
