Have you ever found yourself frustrated that a kid on the team just isn't getting it? And then with everything going on, you quickly jumped to the conclusion that the kid doesn't care or doesn't have what it takes? Those things could be true, but research shows that it is much more likely that you just haven't connected with the kid within their learning style. Awareness of this alone will improve the immediate impact you have on the players and the team and the long-term impact on the kids in their lives.
What do you think made Phil Jackson one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time? Sure it helped to have Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, but the leading sports leadership scholars point to his ability to deeply understand the needs of each individual player and adapt his style to maximize the potential of each player in the context of the team's objectives.
This notion is at the core of some of the best learning and development organizations in the world. For example the PSIA (Ski Instructor's Association) makes learning style assessment one of the first skills taught to new ski instructors.
As youth coaches, many of us use coaching methods that align with our own preferences and learning styles. But what happens to the children whose learning styles differ from our approach? Could the way we coach actually be limiting these young athletes? This question deserves deep reflection. Evidence clearly shows that adapting coaching methods to accommodate different learning styles catalyzes skill development, optimizes performance, and cultivates child well-being on multiple fronts. Aligning instructional techniques with each child's individual learning needs should be central to the youth coaching process.
But let's keep it simple to start. This article focuses on bringing attention and awareness to the idea of different learning styles through the multiple ways it impacts the kids involved in the experience.
What are the Basics About Different Learning Styles?
While there are many models to describe learning styles, at a basic level, people learn in a few different ways. This is the VARK model. It will make sure you have at least a high level sense for what we are talking about:
Visual - They learn from watching an example and then they can mimic what they saw
Auditory - They learn from listening and then they can do what they heard
Reading/Writing - They learn from reading/writing and then they do what they read/wrote
Kinesthetic - They learn from feeling and then they replicate that feeling
Don't Forget Other Things That Impact Learning
A Bad Day - Kids, like all of us, will be stuck in a non-learning part of the brain after they've had a bad day
Tired - If you don't know how much sleep a kid got the night before, you might mistake tired for lack of caring
Confidence - We all learn better when we are confident, and kids are no different
Love and Play - We cover this in depth in other articles as the evidence shows that humans maximize their learning and development through loving what they are doing and playing
Learning styles can impact everything from performance to long-term brain and cognitive development. We explore the range of impacts in the hope that this demonstrates why awareness of learning styles is an important first step for a coach to maximize impact.
Impact of Learning Styles on Performance
Failing to match coaching strategies to learning styles severely hampers athletic performance. Players struggle to comprehend concepts, retain instructions, and translate skills from training to competition. Uncertainty, frustration and poor execution become recurring themes. Adaptive coaching is the antidote - visual demonstration, concise explanations and tactile cues suddenly unlock comprehension for struggling learners. Skills click, confidence is restored and performance potential is unleashed across the roster.
Impact of Learning Styles on Long-Term Sport Success
Impact of Learning Styles on Transferable Life Skills
Impact of Learning Styles on Well-Being
Impact of Learning Styles on Brain Development
Impact of Learning Styles on Behavior
Impact of Learning Styles on Cognitive Capability
The Verdict
Can a child still learn if coached in mismatched ways? Certainly - but their growth is stunted. Only through coaching aligned with learning diversity can we claim to offer a transformative sporting experience for all. The victories, life lessons and personal growth we envision for each child under our stewardship hang in the balance. Now is the time for action.
The Neuroscience of Why Kid's have Different Learning Styles
Brain Structure and Connectivity: Individual differences in brain structures, such as the hippocampus (associated with memory) and the prefrontal cortex (linked to executive functions), can influence learning preferences. Variability in neural connectivity patterns may also contribute to differences in information processing.
Neurotransmitter Systems: Neurotransmitters, chemical messengers in the brain, play a role in learning and memory. Variations in the levels and functioning of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine can impact attention, motivation, and the encoding of new information, influencing learning styles.
Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Processing: Different regions of the brain are specialized for processing information from different sensory modalities. Visual processing involves areas like the occipital lobe, auditory processing involves the temporal lobe, and kinesthetic processing involves the parietal lobe and cerebellum. Variability in these regions can contribute to preferences for visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning.
Hemispheric Dominance: The concept of hemispheric dominance suggests that individuals may have a dominant hemisphere (left or right) that influences their cognitive strengths. While the science on this is nuanced, some theories propose that left-brained individuals may prefer logical and analytical approaches, while right-brained individuals may lean towards creative and holistic thinking.
Genetic and Epigenetic Factors: Genetic factors contribute to the development and functioning of the brain. Additionally, epigenetic factors, which involve changes in gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence, can be influenced by environmental factors and experiences, contributing to individual differences in learning styles.
Attention Networks: Variability in the functioning of attention networks, involving regions like the anterior cingulate cortex and the prefrontal cortex, can influence how individuals attend to and process information. Some people may excel in sustained attention, while others may be more adept at shifting attention.
Cognitive Flexibility: The ability to adapt to new information and changing circumstances, known as cognitive flexibility, involves the prefrontal cortex. Differences in the development and functioning of this region may contribute to variations in how individuals approach and adapt to learning situations.
A Story of Two Styles: Adaptive and Non-Adaptive Coaching
Chapter 1: An Intuitive Bond
Eight-year-old Timmy bounced excitedly in the backseat as his dad drove him to his first baseball practice. Timmy loved sports, but had struggled to pick up new skills ever since T-ball. His mind would wander and his coach’s instructions just didn’t stick. But Timmy remained eager to learn as he dashed onto the field to meet his new coach, Coach Andy.
After some warm-ups, Coach Andy began explaining proper throwing technique. Timmy tried visualizing the motions Coach Andy demonstrated, but it just perplexed him more. Sensing Timmy’s confusion, Coach Andy approached him personally. “Here, get into your throwing stance” he said, gently positioning Timmy’s shoulders, fingers and feet himself. He then guided Timmy’s throwing motion step-by-step. A look of comprehension flashed on Timmy’s face. Coach Andy had uncovered Timmy’s kinesthetic learning style - he needed to feel each movement to absorb it.
Chapter 2: Visuals Left on the Chalkboard
Jamie awaited his favorite part of practice - when Coach Mike ran through new plays on the whiteboard. Jamie devoured the X’s and O’s, plays coming alive in his mind long before his feet even attempted them. But Coach Mike seemed to believe that repetition alone grew skills. “Keep practicing your throws!” he barked as Jamie hoped desperately to instead see proper throwing form demonstrated. But the verbal instructions only tangled Jamie’s head further. Why couldn’t they just learn by looking first? Frustration festered...
Chapter 3: Touch Triggers Growth and Neglect Breeds Frustration
Over weeks of practice, Coach Andy continued using tactile guidance to imprint skills onto Timmy’s kinetic memory. Turning double plays now felt fluid as coach and player moved in practiced unison. Timmy even began instructing teammates on proper technique just through touch signals, their skills benefiting from the tailored approach as well.
Meanwhile Coach Mike stuck to shout and repeat drills, oblivious to Jamie’s visual orientation. Jamie questioned his ability more each day as once simple plays grew overwhelmingly complex in his mind. He disengaged from the confusion, doodling plays in his notebook that his body longed to execute. His teammates seemed to thrive on Coach Mike’s ways though - proof to the coach that his strategy worked. But at what cost?
Chapter 4: Confidence Soars and Isolation Sets In
As the season progressed, Timmy became the team’s defensive anchor, internalizing Coach Andy’s kinesthetic cues into reflexive, elegant motions. Batting skills soared as coach guided Timmy’s rhythmic swing. And Timmy now taught plays to teammates with joyful body gestures. His confidence and love of the game beamed brightly thanks to customized instruction.
Jamie however sank further inward under Coach Mike’s uniform regiment. Though Jamie could draw perfect plays, translating chalkboard to field felt hopeless. Embarrassing miscues left Jamie avoiding contact plays entirely. Team camaraderie evaporated for him, replaced by isolation and embarrassment. His family noticed the once vibrant boy growing withdrawn. Coach Mike chalked it up to lack of effort, unaware of the tools Jamie truly needed to excel.
Chapter 5: Lasting Impacts from Pivotal Moments
Flipping through his freshman psychology textbook, a familiar concept jumped out at Timmy - “learning styles” - citing kinesthetic, visual and auditory approaches. Timmy smiled realizing how perfectly Coach Andy had accommodated him years ago. That tailored tutelage kept sport enjoyable, building confidence that attracted friends and success across activities into college. He felt fortunate his youth coach had such insight.
Down the hall, Jamie sat lifeless in remedial math class, concepts growing more abstract and inaccessible each year. He reflected on how early struggles in Coach Mike’s blinkered system derailed his confidence and compromised the way he approached any new skill. He still found refuge sketching plays, but why had his own coach failed to recognize and embrace his gifts? A fleeting moment, yet devastating in hindsight... Their paths diverged years ago through subtle coaching cues - one empowering, one limiting. If only Jamie’s coach had seen past his own biases, how might that pivotal season have unlocked hidden potential instead of restraining it?
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