Mr Whiz 0 Posted June 14, 2004 i as a volunteer teaching assistant, football coach, student and as a player myself am aware that no two people are the same, but i am also aware that confidence plays a huge part in the performance of players in football. A footballer who is full of confidence is more likely to develop to a higher standard and play a better game week in and week out than a player who isn''t a confident in themselves. My point being that earlier in the season both Henderson and Shackell recieved a lot of overly critical and sometimes nasty comments about their performances. while i am not criticising those people who have made comments (out of love for their beloved team) i do believe that slating younger players, such as hendo and shackell after a bad peformance is not the way to go about making them feel comfortable and improving their game. focusing on the positives and then highlighting areas for improvement would make them feel alot better about themselves and maintain their self confidence, thus improving their performances. any opinions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
susie b 0 Posted June 14, 2004 I have taught PE to children in Norfolk at various schools, and I agree with you that constructive criticism is the way to go for the most part. When I could see that a pupil was trying his/her best but not succeeding particularly, then I would start by saying something positive about what they had done, but then suggest they try to think or perform in a slightly different way to see if that worked. The difference in my attitude was when I could see that someone''s level of effort and/or commitment had dropped. Then I wasn''t shy about saying so, although I would try also to speak to an individual to one side and explain my disappointment and my hopes for them if they could put in the required effort. There''s definitely a lot of psychology involved in nurturing youngsters and it doesn''t help, I believe, if fans lose their patience very quickly and let their feelings become known from the first instance that something goes wrong. However, we also have to balance that by remembering that, in the case of Hendo, Jarvis and Shacks, this is their chosen career path and they are in a very tough business, on the public stage. It''s a very steep learning curve and, to a certain extent, I''m sure they will be prepared by people at the club to take some stick from time-to-time. So far I am pleased to say that I don''t think their effort/commitment has been in doubt, so they haven''t had any flak from me, but I, like you, can see why some people might feel the need to express themselves differently. It''s a difficult issue to resolve, Mr Whiz, without doubt! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites