Essay on Coordination and Communication in Sports

A team consists of people working together as one to achieve a target. Specifically, communication makes use of both written and verbal means to transmit thoughts, ideas, know-how, feelings, and information. Face to face communication has an additional recipe as it offers non-verbal cues, which is crucial for sportsmen and women. Effective communication that can motivate, persuade, transfer information, and solve problems. Therefore, coordination builds cohesion in the team as the players can communicate in the same language and share the same state of knowledge. Commination and coordination are crucial for the success of every team as it promotes solidity, motivation, and performance.

Team Coordination

It is the process of arranging the actions of the team members such that when combined, they result in the most suitable relation to each other to achieve the most effective outcome (Eccles, & Tran, 2012). The importance of team coordination when attempting to peak form entails proper communication between the players as well as performance in the field. It manifests when players show evidence of common shared knowledge state such that every team member has identical knowhow similar to the other. In this way, the plans of the coach are well executed, and every player is seemingly on the same page to the other. As a result, they become on the same page and performance increases.

Three (3) Dimensions of Action

The three dimensions of action include type, timing, and location (Eccles, & Tran, 2012. Each team member must do a specific type of action. For example, if a central midfielder chips the ball over the defenders, the striker is expected to envisage that, make a run, jump, and head the ball in the goal. If the striker was expecting a jump while the ball is passed on the ground, then action will not occur. Second, each member of the team is required to perform that particular set of action at a specific time. For example, if the midfielder chips the ball early, then the target striker may not get it. Last, each person in the team must pick a set of action at a specific location. For example, in the soccer match, the passer must direct the ball at a specific location in the field. If it is over hit, the target may not get it.

Shared Knowledge State

It is a situation when the knowledge of every team member is at least similar to the other member in terms of the game status. It is natural that before individuals are made into a team, each person has an individual piece of knowledge. In the shared knowledge state scenario, they can draw identical knowledge during the performance of a task, which then increases their performance. In contrary, if players of excellent talents who had never played before together are placed in a team and instructed to perform, they will not be in a position to play because they do not share identical know-how. For the case of soccer, it will be a show of individual display in the field without significant result.

The Two (2) Ways Teams Acquire Shared Knowledge State

The team can acquire the shared knowledge state in two ways namely through play and planning. Also known as knowledge of situational probabilities, play is acquired through the practice of the same sport to gain experience. For example, man city, a soccer team, they perform better because they practice together most of the team. A team with individual players of top talents who had never practiced together cannot have a better outcome. In explicit planning, coaches pass crucial information to players on how to perform a specific sport. On the hand, team members follow the instructions and execute them in the field. For example, a midfielder may coordinate with the striker such that whenever he or she sees a striker attempting a run behind the strikers, a through ball is made either through chip or ground pass to get a goal. Another example may include right wingers tasked with crossing the ball to target the striker to head it.

The Four (4) Strategies to Enhance Plan’s Communication

The four ways to enhance how plans are communicated to team members include:

• use of multiple sensory modes
• use redundancy
• use an enduring representation
• Explain why.

The three (3) Strategies for Increasing the Chances that Players “Take in” (i.e., Comprehend) New Plans

There are three strategies for ensuring that the players comprehend the plans that are communicated by the coach. They include:

• Enhance the listening skills of team members.
• Promote questions in the team.
• The use of check plans received.

Conclusion

In sum, developing a team requires the coordination of all resources available. To achieve better action, three dimensions must be taken into consideration that is the type, timing, and location. Notably, effective coordination is achieved when the team attains a shared knowledge state such that they can think in the same line and make the right choices. It can be achieved through play in which team members engage in practice and explicit planning in which coaches dish out required instructions to be followed. Therefore, coaches can enhance their plans through the use of multiple sensory modes, explain why, redundancy, and enduring representation. To ensure that players understand instructions, three strategies are useful that us enhancing their listening skills, fostering questions, and using check backs.

References

Eccles, D. W., & Tran, K. B. (2012). Getting them on the same page: Strategies for enhancing coordination and communication in sports teams. Journal of Sports Psychology in Action, 3(1), 30-40.