Memo #4 Research questions

Nadima Skeff

Memo #4

Research Questions

1. How do female players in the U13 National Premier League level respond to aggressiveness motivation?

• How do players rates their own level of aggressiveness?
• How important do players believe aggressiveness is to their performance?
• How can the different level of games and practice affect their aggressiveness desire?

After five years coaching both girls and boys, I can see differences in girls playing style when comparing to boys. One of the differences is how aggressive girls are and how high maintenance coaches thinks girls are when they decide to motivate the players to be more aggressive. There is a concern of hurting girls feeling or being too harsh on girls. Doing this research with 17 female soccer players will provide me the feedback about how girls react to coaching motivation to be more aggressive and how important the players think aggressiveness is to their performance. Using questionnaires before and after practice, and before and after interventions, I will be able to create discussions and create activities, methods, and technique that could benefit the most female young soccer players.

2. What is the best technique to improve aggressiveness in youth girls soccer?

• What creates more aggressiveness: punishment or awards?
• Does punishment increase aggressiveness in youth girls soccer?
• Does award increase aggressiveness in youth girls soccer?
• Do girls respond better to negative-challenging comments or positive-self-affirming coaching points?

Throughout the years I could see different techniques to motivate players to become more aggressive. Several coaches believe in fear and punishment to motivate players, and others are advocates of positive criticism and awards instead of punishment to increase certain skill. It is very important to me to understand which technique gets more results and more results in a long term. Also, this research questions challenge a stereotype about girls necessarily rely on positive-self-affirming comments to be able to perform. This research could provide me information about girl’s responses to two different types of techniques on motivating aggressiveness in the fields. Questionnaires and notes would be applied and taken before and after each coaching technique interview. The result of this intervention could provide coaches more productive practices and/or avoid unnecessary punishments.

3.  What can I do to support aggressiveness during practice without increasing injuries?

• What are the comments/techniques that I can provide to increase aggressiveness without increasing injuries?
• During motivation speeches, where my focus must be?
• What type of activities can I run to motivate aggressiveness without increasing injuries?

In a society that is fanatic to Football and believes in the mentality of “no pain no gain”, I worry if gives extend focus to aggressiveness the players would rely on the sport the mainly watch on TV and believe that aggressiveness is equal physical contact. This unnecessary physical contact could potentially increase injuries in the team and create, even more, fear to be aggressive among the girls. Perhaps the focus of the coach should not necessarily in the word “aggressive” but more in the concept of soccer aggressiveness i.e. more alert, more involved, more communicative, not afraid of physical contact, engaged in the game, and extremely aware of the importance of keeping the ball and stealing the ball even if physical contact is necessary. The research would provide me insights of methods and comments that work best for the players without putting them at the risk of injuries. Those methods could include activities and comments that are more suit to motivating aggressiveness. Gathering notes of changes in player’s attitude and activities feedback from players would be taken and it would provide a better understanding of girls soccer and their ability to be more aggressive during games and practices.