At the WTA level, we have the on-court coaching and I am big believer in the importance of communication. The leadership relies very heavily on face to face communication. The opportunity for coaches to work on court during the match and talk with the players is very important. It’s an opportunity to improve their potential, their game and their results.
We analyzed hundreds of on-court coaching side changes and were interested in their non-verbal communication. We looked at how coaches used eye contact, how they listen to the players and what gestures they did. The hand position and body gestures like high-fives and simple body contact. We looked at the position of the coach.
What we concluded is that, first of all it’s very important to establish the eye contact. That is the number one rule in any communication, because eye contact shows, respect and indicates interests. What we notice is that many coaches are using sunglasses even while talking to the player during on court coaching changeovers. If you don’t have anything to hide or if you have enough confidence, you shouldn’t use sunglasses during the 90 seconds communication.
Second, body contact, any form of body contact like a high five.
A high five can increase the confidence of the player which we know from other studies can have a good impact on performance
So, use some form of body contact like high five, pad on the shoulder or knuckles
Further we have to take care about the gestures and leg position because, you have different gestures that shows different styles of communication.
For example, the Palm up position, that’s a non-threatening gesture, but the palm down position, signals the authority of dominance. So, whenever you talk with a player, you should open your palms because it shows respect and it’s a non-threatening gesture
We found many coaches using the palm closed with finger pointed, which is a threatening gesture, so it’s not recommendable. In the same way if you are sitting on the bench with arms or legs crossed it’s suggests that you are insecure, defensive and you don’t want to make contact.
So, you have to be aware of your gestures, your leg and palm positions during any communication with players, but especially so when you are doing on court coaching change overs.
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