Category: Coach Vic's Instruction and Advice
Type: Philosophy
PROVIDING FEEDBACK
Knowledge of Performance. The most effective feedback for helping players to learn and improve is feedback based on performance. Do players know that a defensive rebound is a cue to occupy a position in the outlet set? Did the players anticipate a teammate getting a defensive rebound? Did they begin occupying positions in the outlet set at the moment they anticipated the rebound? Did they occupy positions according to the framework? To what degree are they able to improvise while running the framework?
Coaches should not provide feedback based on the outcome of a particular action or decision. In this form of feedback (knowledge of results), when a player shoots a perimeter shot, for example, all that matters is whether or not the ball goes into the basket; a 'good' shot is one that scores; a 'bad' shot is one that misses.
Although feedback based on knowledge of results may be effective in making players feel good or bad, depending on the outcome, it does little to help them improve their performance, that is, the quality of their play. A player, for example, who receives an outlet pass may dribble before looking to pass, cross the center line, dribble into the corner of the court with head down, leap into the air, shoot before teammates are in position to rebound, and score. Players, fans and the coach leap to their feet and exclaim, "Great shot!" How does that feedback help that boy or girl become a better player? What happens when he/she next executes the same manoeuvre and misses?
negative reinforcement - Failure to provide knowledge-of-performance feedback on a consistent basis will likely encourage or reinforce poor performance. It is critical, for example, that players learn to occupy positions in the appropriate set. Because tasks which tell players what to do are assigned to positions, a player who does not occupy a position will not know what to do. The result is disorganization.
Consequently, each time a player fails to occupy a position in the appropriate set, the coach or a teammate should immediately make that player aware of the situation. Otherwise it is likely that the player will do the same thing over and over again.
Submitted by: Vic Pruden
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