Within the different ways of communication, we focus on that which occurs in competition, where messages must be quick, concise and coherent. Communication flows mainly in the coach-athlete direction.
We speak of a style of informative communication, in which the coach tells the athlete what to do, without expecting verbal feedback from the athlete after receiving the corresponding message.
In competition, the time for communication is limited, so it must be used in a precise way. The athlete needs to receive a clear, unambiguous message, and the coach needs to feel in control of the information he/she transmits.
Baloncesto Narón – EBA League 2018-2019. Photo: Iago López
What situations or factors that occur in competition will condition the communication between coach and athlete?
The high level of stress generated by the competition.
The high number of stimuli that must be attended. It is essential to get the player to focus on what we want to transmit.
The communicative moment; we are referring, in this case, to conditioning factors such as the result-score, the athlete’s state of mind, etc.
The communicative distance; in a time-out, in a changeover, or in a stoppage of play, the body distance is minimal, while in other situations, it is greater.