I recently submitted this paper in response to the required readings for a postgraduate course that I am undertaking through the University of Queensland, "Quality Coaching - Understanding, Informing and Advancing Practice". I am sharing it here as it may be of interest to some colleagues on LinkedIn. - Sherrilyn Walters, Instructor (www.cmahc.com.au)
Introduction
As a coach in traditional martial arts, I often find that the influence that I have on my students' lives extends far beyond the techniques and applications that I teach in class. Reflecting on my experience, I wonder whether any sport or physical activity can be undertaken without affecting all other areas of the participant's life. I have enjoyed the required reading for this seminar and found the framework of the 4Cs (Competence, Confidence, Connection and Character/Caring) to be a useful summary of the areas of development that all coaches should keep in mind while coaching young people (Côté et al., 2010). I agree with the statement that “the 4Cs are universal needs that coaches of athletes of any competitive level or ages should strive to develop” ( Côté et al., 2010 pp. 78).
The Definition of Success
From my experience in coaching, I have found that the 4Cs are intricately connected and not mutually exclusive, when working towards the goal of true mastery, or achieving an athlete's full potential. There are many successful sports people who display a high level of one or two of the 4Cs, such as Competence and Confidence for example, but do not appear to have developed high levels of Character/Caring and Connection. These athletes appear to be successful because they are top-level athletes who are winning at their game. I would however like to pose the question, “Is winning a competition an accurate measure of success?” Is a tragic example of an athlete who wins a gold medal and then shortly afterwards tries to take his life due to burn-out and depression a story of success? (Farmery, 2016)
As a response to the inherent problems associated with focusing on winning as a primary measure of success, the American Sport Education Program (ASEP), developed in 1981 holds the motto, “Athletes First, Winning Second” as the cornerstone of its coaching philosophy (Jenkins 2010, pp. 239).
If the goal of a coach is to develop an athlete's true potential both in their sport and outside of their sport, all of the 4Cs must be developed simultaneously, as each of the Cs affects the others.
The Inter-Connectedness of the 4Cs
I will give a few examples of how the 4 Cs must work together for true success:
Connection and Competence
In any team sport, players must develop empathy, caring and connection with others in order to operate efficiently and effectively as a team. Even in individual sports, an understanding of how to connect with and empathize with others is important to success. For example, in an individual tennis game, a true master tennis player will learn how to read their opponent. They will learn how to tell when their opponent is flagging and press the advantage, they will learn how to deal with and apply intimidation in their game and body language. The social and mental game is often just as important in determining the outcome of the match as the physical game. In analysing Rafael Nadal's French Open performance, Craig Townsend observes that “a big part of Nadal's claycourt "aura of invincibility" he established came from his powerful, positive body language” (Townsend, n.d.).
In order to truly know your opponent, it is essential to develop respect, empathy and connection with others. In The Art of War, ancient Chinese military genius Sun Tzu states: “If you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” (Cleary, 1988 pp. 82)
Character and Competence
Development of character is essential for any successful sports person. “Athletic success requires an individual to work hard, be self-disciplined, exhibit perseverance and determination, be able to concentrate, stay focused and so forth.” (Simons, Van Rheenen & Covington, 1999).
If an athlete has poor self-discipline, they will struggle to put in the training required to take them to the highest levels of their sport. If an athlete lacks personal integrity, they may have self-destructive habits which could negatively impact their performance. If an athlete lacks respect for authority, they may disregard some rules of their sport and be penalised as a result. In addition, an athlete who struggles with respect may not listen to and take on board valuable advice and instruction given to them by their coaches or more senior players, and they will lose the opportunity to develop and grow as a result.
In conclusion, to quote from the text (Côté et al, 2010 pp. 77), coaches “should not 'use language or techniques that might encourage participants to separate their sport experiences from “real life”'. Rather, like any other sport settings, elite sports should be seen as a medium by which social values are learned and transferred to real life situations.”
References
Cleary, T. (1988). The Art of War (Sun Tzu, Trans.). Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala.
Côté, J., Bruner, M., Erickson, K., Strachan, L. & Fraser-Thomas, J. (2010). Athlete development and coaching. In J. Lyle & C. J. Cushion (Eds.), Sports Coaching: Professionalisation and Practice (pp. 63-83). Sydney: Elsevier.
Farmery, T. (2016, August 2). Anthony Ervin is going for gold again at Rio after attempting suicide and battling alcohol and drug addiction. Daily Mail, Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Jenkins, S. (2010). Coaching philosophy. In J. Lyle & C. J. Cushion (Eds.), Sports Coaching: Professionalisation and Practice (pp. 233-242). Sydney: Elsevier.
Simons, H., Van Rheenen, D., Covington, M. (1999). Academic motivation and the student athlete. Journal of College Student Development, 40.2, 151.
Townsend, A. (n.d.). Winning Body Language in Matches. Mind Training For Tennis. Retrieved from https://www.tennispsychology.com
