Athlete's Learning Language

Have you ever been exasperated by the player's inability to grasp what you are trying to accomplish and you are at the point where you feel they are purposely defying you. The reality is: they do not understand what is different between what you are asking and what they are doing.

Players have preferred learning styles. That is, most people favor a particular method of learning. A learning style is the method of learning that is unique to an individual that allows that individual to learn best.

There are four major learning styles: auditory, visual, tactile (kinesthetic), and sequential. Each learning style is unique and requires a different teaching method. Individuals leave clues in their word choice and actions that enable insights into their dominant learning style.

1) Auditory: Auditory processors learn by hearing and interpreting the underlying meanings of speech by listening to the tone of voice, pitch, speed, and other spoken nuances. The most effective method to teach verbal learners is to use short simple sentences and have them repeat back the key points of the drill.

2) Visual: The majority of individuals are watching processors. Their optimally learning occurs through seeing the teacher's body language and movements, and facial expressions to learn the content of the lesson. Visual learner's learn best when seeing the coach's body language and facial expression and, typically, stand near the front of the group to avoid visual obstructions.

3) Kinesthetic(tactile): Kinesthetic processors learn by doing and retain information best by acting out the activity themselves through either mimicking the action or showing it to others. Although tactile learners are a minority in society, many youth coaches exclusively use this style. Coaches tell the players to do a specific drill by name, watch them, and then quickly provide a verbal adjustment without first describing the purpose and acting it out for them.

4) Sequential: The sequential learning style is not as well recognized as the other learning styles, but many very talented athletes are sequential learners. The sequential learning style is based on the "why" question. These athletes learn through linearly stepping through the process from start to finish and need to know the reason behind each different step.

A key objective in youth sports is to increase the athlete's learning during the ninety-minute practice. Following these steps, which incorporate each learning style, leads to an effective practice. When introducing a new skill or team play:

1) Tell the players what they are going to learn and the motivation for learning it.

2) Have a coach demonstrate the activity and have the players break the drill down into individual steps.

3) Let the players perform the activity with constructive coaching fine-tuning.

4) Recap the activity with why it is important and what are the steps in the process.

By incorporating multiple learning styles during practice, each player learns using their preferred style. Auditory learners are taught in their style during step 1, 3, and 4. Optimal learning for the visual and kinesthetic styles occurs during step 2 thru 4. Finally, sequential learners get the most from steps 1, 2, and 4.

What are the learning styles of the youth athletes on your team? Based on their previous performance in practice and games, what is the one area that needs to be worked on in the next practice. Break down the drills and play execution into the four steps above to maximize the players learning potential.