Sports Psychologist in Training (2024/25). Chicago based. Former MLS Academy Director of Performance, UEFA B & USSF B Licenses, BA Hons in Sports Science & Theology, MSc in Sports Psych, PE Teacher(QTS)
Interpersonal Emotions and The Coach Who Truly Cares ❤️🏉 Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s Rugby Director of Coaching, is a master at fostering genuine care and psychological safety within his squad. A powerful example is his handling of Makazole Mapimpi’s story—who, after losing his family, only provided a picture of himself for a jersey tribute. 🧠 The evidence base: • Coaches’ emotions impact players’ feelings and performance. • The right emotions from a coach can boost player well-being and even team success (van Kleef et al., 2019). • Authentic emotional displays—like Rassie’s—set a tone that encourages openness and mental well-being within the team. 💡 Key Takeaway: A coach’s emotional leadership isn’t just motivational—it creates a safe environment where players can thrive, emotionally and mentally. Rassie Erasmus is leading by example. Fantastic share Professor Adam Nicholls #Leadership #Coaching #Psychology #MentalWellbeing #SportLeadership #theydontcareuntiltheyknowyoucare
Professor of Sport Psychology at the University of Hull. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐖𝐡𝐨 (𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲) 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬... I have posted many times about the coaching behaviours of South African Rugby Union (SA Rugby) director of coaching, Rassie Erasmus. In particular, I think he is outstanding at fulfilling the players' basic psychological needs (thus making them feel cared for and effective at what they do) and innovative coaching practices (i.e., developing the computer game for players to observe), for example. I think this is another video that shows how much Rassie genuinely cares for the people in the South Africa squad. He is talking about when Makazole Mapimpi was asked to provide pictures of his family to go in the numbers of the jerseys, but he only provided a picture of himself because his mother died when he was 14, his sister died 5 years later, and then his brother died in an accident. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 There may be a tendency for coaches not to show their emotional side, such as Rassie does in this video and other videos. Authentic displays of emotions can have a powerful impact on players. Interpersonal emotion research has revealed that emotions do not just occur within individuals - they can also occur between individuals and even facilitate social interactions (Fischer & Manstead, 2016). Emotions often elicit emotional and behavioural responses from the people who observe them (emotions as social information (EASI) theory; Van Kleef, 2009, 2016). In support of this, and within the context of sport, a coach's positive affect and happiness at the start of training predicted player positive affective states at the end of a training session, and likewise for a coach's negative affect and anger at the start of a training session predicted negative affect and unhappiness among players at the end of the training session (Stebbings et al., 2015; van Kleef et al., 2019). Finally, van Kleef et al. (2019) found that coach happiness predicted football performance among 30 Dutch teams (376 players) and their coaches. That is coach happiness prior to the games was associated positively with performance, whereas coach happiness at half-time did not impact second-half performance. Given that coaches are very important figures in setting the environment for a sporting team (e.g., Høigaard et al., 2015), emotional displays such as this by Rassie Erasmus will show other people around the South Africa squad (players and support staff) that is fine to display one's emotions and hopefully discuss feelings, which is great for promoting mental well-being. Reference. van Kleef et al. (2019). Emotional games: How coaches' emotional expressions shape players' emotions, inferences, and team performance. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 41, 1-11. 🎥 credit: Chasing the Sun
