Parents and Coaches sometimes refer to “Tank Filling” as “happy talk.” But remember, the praises must be truthful and specific (i.e. not “Nice job, Ruth” but, “Ruth, I noticed in the second half your cuts to the goal were much sharper.”).
Children are uncanny in detecting false praise and lose some of their respect for those who offer it and are then more closed to suggestion for improvement. In contrast, a major benefit of Tank Filling is that your children know you believe in them, and your praise boosts their confidence, so that they are willing and able to respond well to constructive criticism.
Explore the content below to learn more about Tank Fillers.
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Among the most daunting challenges for any Responsible Coach is getting players to communicate with each other during game action. Youth athletes often resist taking charge vocally, whether from shyness or fear of making an incorrect call.
The Magic Ratio, rooted in sports and educational psychology research, states that coaches can get the most out of youth athletes by providing five specific, truthful praises for every one piece of specific, constructive criticism.
We asked the experts at Responsible Sports: what can we, the community of Responsible Sport Parents, do to help reverse this trend? The answer may lie in the Positive Coaching Alliance principle of the Emotional Tank.
Tryouts can be tough not only for the athletes, but for their parents and coaches as well. Parents may find it difficult to console a child who has failed to make a team. Likewise coaches often dread “the cut”, informing athletes that gave their all that they just didn’t make it.
Nobody likes being criticized. But to truly grow and learn, we have to learn to be open to constructive criticism. But what if we didn’t even look at it as “criticism”? What if we viewed everything through the more positive, productive lens of “feedback”? Or at the very least, “kid-friendly criticism”?
Responsible Coaching: Emotional Tanks (Article 4 of 7)
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