Using Punishment as a Coaching Tool

From Competitive Edge
By: Dr. Alan Goldberg

     A lot of coaches regularly employ punishment as a "teaching" tool with their athletes and teams. If the team/athlete fails to execute well, makes a lot of mistakes or loses, the coach punishes them with more physically brutal practices, extra trainings and usually extra, long hard conditioning.
      I've always been puzzled by coaches responding in this "old school" manner. What do they want their athletes to learn from their loss or mistakes? That if you screw up on "my team" there will be hell to pay? That losing is unacceptable? That fear of negative physical consequences will somehow miraculously motivate me and my teammates to perform better and not screw up under pressure?
   So let's look at exactly what athletes REALLY learn from these kinds of punishment consequences!

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