How Expectations Affect Performance

Whether you know it or not, the expectations you form as a coach about players on your team affects not only your own behavior toward them but also the feelings and performance of those players.
Having such an influence on your players’ athletic experience and development is a huge responsibility and a process every coach should understand.
1. Coaches form expectations of players- all coaches form expectations of players on their team. For example, often coaches have higher expectations for players that they feel are more athletic. Inaccurate expectations (either too low or too high) often lead to unsuitable behaviors by the coach.
2. Coaches’ expectations influence their coaching behaviors- Most coaches behave differently if they have high or low expectations of a specific player. Coaches spend more time talking and working with “high expectation players” because they expect more of them. Coaches show more caring and positive emotions toward high-expectation athletes. Coaches lower their expectations of what skills a “low expectation athlete” can learn/execute and thus establish a lower standard of performance. Coaches provide less time in practice drills, and are less patient in teaching challenging skills to low-expectation players. Also, coaches give more instruction, feedback, and positive reinforcement with praise for high expectation athletes after a successful performance.
3. It’s easy to see why athletes who consistently receive more positive reinforcement from a coach show more effort, improvement, and enjoyment in soccer. Low expectation players often receive less playing time, less effective reinforcement, and as a result have poorer performances. These same athletes attribute their failures to a lack of ability and think they may never have future success. They also lack self-confidence and perceived ability.
4. Athlete’s performances confirm the coaches’ expectations- Often an athlete’s performance adds confirmation to a coach’s initial evaluation of the athlete’s ability and potential. However, few coaces are aware that their own expectations helped produce this self-fulfilling performance result in their athlete’s. Thus, it’s absolutely essential that all coaches understand the cyclical relationship between their expectations and players’ performance. Athletic growth and development and enjoyment are dependent on this knowledge.