The "tough/hardass" coaching model occasionally works on the HS/college level because athletes have no control.

It largely fails on the pro level because athletes have more autonomy & understand their value

Pro's want to be treated as people, not subordinates.

Why? A thread:

It's not that young athletes don't want the same things (autonomy) as older. It's that there's an inherent power differential and they are nearly powerless to escape it.

They "survive" the 'tough' training, they don't thrive under it.
Human motivation is very simple. Self Determination Theory boils it down to 3 basic needs:
1. Feel like you belong
2. Feel like you can make progress
3. Feel like you have some control over your life (autonomy)
Intrinsic motivation largely fuels the "obsession" you see from top performers to practice their craft over and over.

That doesn't come from a coach or someone dictating and directing. Over the long haul, it has to come from within.
As you can see, the "hardass" all the time approach runs counter to at least one of our basic motivational needs.

Over time, you erode self-motivation and have to replace it with something else, or else you lose people.

That something else if often more extrinsic motivation.
I like to think of extrinsic motivation as a temporary booster. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's like throwing lighter fluid on the fire. You may need some from time to time, but it burns quickly and burns out. You need something more sustainable over the long haul.
All of this is why the 'tough' all the time approach generally only works if you are consistently winning or there's a finite time in which an athlete has to tolerate it.

A high chance to win supplements some of the lost motivation, temporarily at least.
A short period to tolerate (i.e. college career) with a potential big payoff at the end (i.e. get drafted) helps athletes get through it.

But as I said, you have to replace that loss of motivation provided via autonomy with something. And that something often is short term.
If you think this if gibberish, consider a study a few years ago using NBA coaches/players.

They found that having an "abusive leader" as a coach changed the trajectory of players careers.

They had more technical fouls and worse performance over the trajectory of their career.
It's worth emphasizing that this didn't occur only while they were being coached by an "abusive leader," it impacted the rest of their career.

Players trajectories, in terms of player efficiency metrics, shifted downwards
https://t.co/dqpknRc3vc
All of the above is one of the reasons you see college coaches who have excelled at that level using a control/disciplinarian style fail at the pro level. It doesn't translate.

The style wears on you. It pushes you away from intrinsic motivation.
The same lessons apply off the court and field. If you have talented and driven individuals, the quickest way to turn them into complacent, "lazy" workers is to diminish their intrinsic motivation by taking away their basic psychological needs.
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More from For later read

I shared this on my FB page and asked, can ya really blame him?

I was half kidding. I also assumed someone would think of what I did pretty quickly and waiting for the comment to mention what I assumed was obvious.

The timing. I was sure someone else had thought of it.


But no one did. 20+ comments in people discussed the morality or bad sense or libertarian perspectives. Someone even said I’m thinking about doing that. No one said what I thought was obvious. Have you thought of it? Is it obvious to you?

Here’s a clue...recognize it?


How about this?


The author discusses it with Mike Wallace in 1958

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Rig Ved 1.36.7

To do a Namaskaar or bow before someone means that you are humble or without pride and ego. This means that we politely bow before you since you are better than me. Pranipaat(प्राणीपात) also means the same that we respect you without any vanity.

1/9


Surrendering False pride is Namaskaar. Even in devotion or bhakti we say the same thing. We want to convey to Ishwar that we have nothing to offer but we leave all our pride and offer you ourselves without any pride in our body. You destroy all our evil karma.

2/9

We bow before you so that you assimilate us and make us that capable. Destruction of our evils and surrender is Namaskaar. Therefore we pray same thing before and after any big rituals.

3/9

तं घे॑मि॒त्था न॑म॒स्विन॒ उप॑ स्व॒राज॑मासते ।
होत्रा॑भिर॒ग्निं मनु॑षः॒ समिं॑धते तिति॒र्वांसो॒ अति॒ स्रिधः॑॥

Translation :

नमस्विनः - To bow.

स्वराजम् - Self illuminating.

तम् - His.

घ ईम् - Yours.

इत्था - This way.

उप - Upaasana.

आसते - To do.

स्त्रिधः - For enemies.

4/9

अति तितिर्वांसः - To defeat fast.

मनुषः - Yajman.

होत्राभिः - In seven numbers.

अग्निम् - Agnidev.

समिन्धते - Illuminated on all sides.

Explanation : Yajmans bow(do Namaskaar) before self illuminating Agnidev by making the offerings of Havi.

5/9
**Thread on Bravery of Sikhs**
(I am forced to do this due to continuous hounding of Sikh Extremists since yesterday)

Rani Jindan Kaur, wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh had illegitimate relations with Lal Singh (PM of Ranjit Singh). Along with Lal Singh, she attacked Jammu, burnt - https://t.co/EfjAq59AyI


Hindu villages of Jasrota, caused rebellion in Jammu, attacked Kishtwar.

Ancestors of Raja Ranjit Singh, The Sansi Tribe used to give daughters as concubines to Jahangir.


The Ludhiana Political Agency (Later NW Fronties Prov) was formed by less than 4000 British soldiers who advanced from Delhi and reached Ludhiana, receiving submissions of all sikh chiefs along the way. The submission of the troops of Raja of Lahore (Ranjit Singh) at Ambala.

Dabistan a contemporary book on Sikh History tells us that Guru Hargobind broke Naina devi Idol Same source describes Guru Hargobind serving a eunuch
YarKhan. (ref was proudly shared by a sikh on twitter)
Gobind Singh followed Bahadur Shah to Deccan to fight for him.


In Zafarnama, Guru Gobind Singh states that the reason he was in conflict with the Hill Rajas was that while they were worshiping idols, while he was an idol-breaker.

And idiot Hindus place him along Maharana, Prithviraj and Shivaji as saviours of Dharma.