Anti-Goal of Coaching
Kahneman and Coaching
Don’t turn System 2 on for players when System 1 should be deciding.
Said simpler…
Don’t turn decision-makers into problem solvers.
I know what you’re thinking, “aren’t decision-making and problem-solving the same thing?”
Not quite. Put your coaching hat on and let’s solve this thing together.
Here’s what we know right away:
If a player fears mistakes and hearing about errors back at the bench, you’re going to do the 2 things above in bold print.
This just made your player worse.
Anytime your coaching turns System 2 on when 1 should be kicking, you’ve had a bad coaching intervention.
Coach K’s Classroom
I’ve experienced the negative consequences of this type of coaching first-hand. But before we go to the story, let’s refresh on the other “Coach K.” Daniel Kahneman.
If you’re not familiar with Kahneman or haven’t read his book “Thinking Fast and Slow,” don’t fret.
System 1 is “instinct thinking”
If I throw a ball at your face from 12 feet, there isn’t enough time to have a conscious thought to tell your body:
a ball is coming at our face
move your head 6 inches to the left or it’s going to hurt
System 1 is called “fast thinking” or decision-making.
System 1 is used during the game, under pressure with time and space constraints. It’s unconscious and players will use cues in the moment that they can’t articulate after.
System 2 is “anything that isn’t instinct”
If it takes longer than .6 seconds you can have a thought about it.
System 2 is called “slow thinking” or problem-solving.
System 2 can be used before or after the game. Pre-game visualization allows you to think consciously about what you might do in each situation. Postgame reflection allows for the same space to think more methodically about what happened.
My Experience with an Anti-Mentor
I was a very intuitive, feel player. I enjoyed making quick passing plays and playing pucks to teammates in any way possible.
If it called for a behind-the-back pass, I made it.
If it called for a kick pass, I tried it.
The best decisions are made with your instincts, not your mind. - Lionel Messi
I was able to play with this freedom of expression like Messi talks about… until I wasn’t.
It went something like this with the new coach.
We really like your creativity, but not really because we are going to talk to you every time you make any play we deem, “high risk.” Eventually, we are going to start benching you for these plays and then scratching you for them.
In a few years, all of your confidence and who you are as a player will be gone. You won’t even recognize yourself on film when we get done with you.
Sinister stuff, right?
Every play I made 2 months into receiving his “coaching”…
I started to second-guessed. As pucks were coming to me, I was thinking about W.W.C.D. "(What Would Coach Do)
Or sometimes I had an even slower thought:
What would Coach want me to do?
All of my instincts became the slower and less productive thinking. I went from thinking fast and being effective to thinking slow and ruining my game.
As a coach you need to know this:
You’re either creating pressure or permission at any given moment with your players.
I had permission to make plays before. This freed up my mind to play the game in front of me.
Feeling pressure created fear. Fear invited thinking and thinking takes too long.
Anti-Coach Creates Anti-Goal
Make it an anti-goal in your coaching to avoid this:
Coach in a way that turns System 1 situations into System 2 with my feedback.
Don’t do it.
Know the difference between System 1 and 2 situations in the game.
Both occur. But don’t mistake one for the other.
Experiential learning can still happen during System 1 plays. The player will make adjustments on his own. There are even ways to talk through and guide learning.
However, please continue to give them the confidence to “play” the game.
Mistakes are going to happen, guide reflection without handcuffing them and making them worse.
Creating permissions makes them better. They play without the fear. They play free.
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