How can coaches utilise the Theories of Learning?

Coaches all over the world have to deal with their students and be able to have them learn effectively. Each coach has their own methods for handling this with their athletes. Some may choose to take the soft approach with the performers, in order to maintain a positive relationship. Some may choose to take the tough approach, it really all depends on the personality traits of those involved and how the coach thinks it would be best to handle it.

B.F Skinner’s 1938 Operant conditioning model is one that can be linked to sport, and used by coaches to solve the issue of how to handle athletes. The model proposes that learning will occur through an individual establishing a link between a behaviour and a consequence. That consequence may be positive or negative. If the consequence is positive then the performer is more likely to repeat the action, strengthening the S-R bond (stimulus-response). If the result is negative however, the S-R bond is weakened, making the behaviour is less likely to be replicated. An example of this would be a footballer making an a good pass which leads to a goal, and so the manager praises them. Another would be the player being greedy and losing the ball repeatedly, and so they are substituted.

A second learning theory that is associated with sport is trial and error. It’s as simple as it sounds. Coaches will identify a number of possible methods to overcome an obstacle that is hindering performance progress. If the idea is successful the athlete will use it, if not it’s back to the drawing board and the process starts again until a suitable method is discovered. This process is somewhat used in operant conditioning, and is also time consuming. This learning theory can therefore last a long time, and if unsuccessful attempts continue to happen, the coach may struggle to maintain the athlete’s confidence, leading to more problems.

My experiences with Learning Theories

During my time competing in my sport, Karate, I had to try numerous Learning theories in order to continue to make progress on skills which ultimately lead me to winning or losing (I finished in the medal’s more often than not). I found that trial and error was great for morale if I attempted something new and it immediately worked, however this was overlooked by the sheer number of failed attempts over the years. On top of this, I often preferred to use operant conditioning, and this meant that my coach had to be on hand, to give me that external consequence of either praise or punishment.

I think that learning really does rely on the the personality of the performer, and the coach must understand that and alter training appropriately to maximise their students’ potential.