Human performance psychology is the term that I have adopted for the subset of social science that I happen to think is interesting and sports-relevant. I don’t know if it is actually a “thing” but it makes it possible (and, I’ll admit, easy) to get a bunch of important ideas under the big tent that is Applied Sports Science.
I am not the only person to recast social science for convenience sake. The Freakonomics–Gladwell journalism genre regularly pinches social science insight as pegs for narratives where characters can have life’s twists and turns follow a trajectory that, little do they know, has been foretold by psychological or economic theory. Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code book/blog, skillfully adapts social science to understand and explain athlete development. In fact, he has mastered the form.
Earlier this week Coyle called the speech by Dave Belisle to his Rhode Island team at this year’s Little League World Series the finest locker room speech of all locker room speeches. The reason the speech is great has to do with a relationship-based approach to teaching and coaching, something that rests on four core principles, according to Coyle:
- Seek to create belonging by establishing a clear, vivid identity.
- Be vulnerable. Notice how the coach talks openly about emotions, especially his own. This creates safety and trust.
- Teach the whole kid. Connect in ways beyond the field or classroom.
- Tell the truth. The strength of the relationship is in its honesty and trust.
The Belisle speech is one instance in a universe filled with formal and informal education, and the Coyle narrative, like much of the genre, engages readers by making the event exceptional. Belisle might be truly great, but learners everywhere can feel good that a broader trend is taking place in education, called Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL, researchers are finding, is good for students and, just as importantly, good for the adult educators. “Teaching students emotional and relationship skills compels a teacher to reflect on his or her own social-emotional competencies” in and out of the classroom, according a new article published by a group at the University of California-Berkeley.
SEL is catching on in education circles and there is a good chance Belisle knew what he was doing with his speech. And there is reason to be optimistic that such competence will be widespread.
SEL can also provide context for sports organizations, many of whom seem to be struggling to find a moral compass. Whether it is the Atlanta Hawks or the NFL, failing to cement the link between prioritizing relationships and improving/learning puts the organization at a disadvantage if it is competing against organizations who have their relationship priorities in order.