I never understood why a sports coach would yell at a player when he makes a mistake.

It’s not because the player can’t hear the coach - no, he can hear him just fine. Instead, the coach gets loud and agressive intentionally, thinking that if he intimidates the player, he will be more cautious next time, and not make the same mistake again.

What usually ends up hapenning is that this aggression makes the player defensive, passive-agressive, closed-minded, less creative and constantly afraid of making another mistake, and this internalized critical voice distracts him from making good decisions on the court.

The culture of blaming and intimidation gets you nowhere, whether you’re a sports coach, a parent or a manager.

The alternative is to teach and support with humility and patience. Learning and changing habits takes time, but like in many other situations, being patient pays off.