John Dunning of Stanford University says that players always assume that there is "criticism in coaching." For Dunning, choosing when to coach is critical for maintaining a team's confidence. He says it is easy to over-coach and erode a player's confidence in their skills. To counter this, he makes an effort to connect with every player at the beginning of practice, even if it's only a small interaction. Showing that you care about your athletes - and showing patience when correcting the same skill over and over again - will create an environment of trust and belief.
Building confidence and patience
Stanford University '01-'16