One book that I've finished in recent weeks is called Nurture Shock, by Po Bronson. Bronson explores the typical fashion in which kids are raised in the 21st century, and attempts to debunk a lot of the myths that have been perpetuated through folklore and passed down from generation to generation.
One topic that is directly applicable to the world of strength and conditioning is the argument for positive reinforcement. It seems that lately most people would agree that positive affirmations are a good way to get results out of students/athletes/kids, but what exactly does this mean? I think we all know not to call our kids or clients idiots, and tell them how terrible they are. But what kind of positive reinforcement is actually effective?
I was somewhat surprised when I read exactly how crippling it can be to tell a young student, or athlete, how good (or smart) they are at whatever it is they might be doing. Taking this approach actually leads to worse performances in the future.
Why?
Bronson makes a strong argument that this leads the kids to infer that intelligence, or in my case athletic ability, is entirely innate. In other words, you're either good enough or you're not, and there's not much you can do about it. As soon as they fail at something (do poorly on a test, lost a game, etc.) they are crushed and assume it's because they didn't have the ability in the first place.
Now, what should we do as coaches and parents to avoid this? The research was incredibly clear. Be positive about effort. I've heard many coaches and parents act disgusted when they hear people say things like "Nice try, Johnny!" after striking out, and I sometimes see their point. But, it pays off exponentially if you praise the effort of young kids, whether they ace the test, win the game or not. The key to making it effective though is Being Sincere. Kids can sniff out B.S. compliments from a mile away. If they worked hard at something, let them know. Highlight improvements. This might sound like coddling, but it is absolutely crucial to make kids understand that with consistent effort they will improve.
I saw this work first hand in the last couple weeks with a 10 year old boy that I've been working weekly for a couple of months. In his first group class, he struggled with coordination (and not to mention behaviour) and this frustrated him (and myself to a point). If he couldn't perform a skill on the first attempt he wanted no part of it, and would give up. I decided to try this approach, pulled him aside, and explained to him that all I was looking for was effort. It sounds simple, but I stuck to the approach.
After a few weeks of trying to remain patient, I noticed something.
This kid fell down more times than I've ever seen in a 45 minute class. He hit the ground, hard, a minimum of 15 times. But that's not what I noticed.
If he fell 15 times, he got up without missing a beat 15 times, and probably got up faster after the last time than the first. He kept working hard and knew I wasn't going to get on him about his skill, only his effort. He had fun, was attentive, and got better because of it. It was a very simple approach that worked wonders in this case and is supported by plenty of psychological research.
Hopefully you keep this in mind when working with your own kids or athletes!
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