Behavioral coaching in the development of skills in football, gymnastics, and tennis.
A tiny five-step coaching bundle can push sports skill accuracy from near zero to over half in a single practice.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researchers tested a five-part coaching package on 23 athletes aged 11 to 35. The package gave clear instructions, immediate feedback, praise, extra practice after errors, and a brief time-out for repeated mistakes. They used a multiple-baseline design across football, gymnastics, and tennis skills.
What they found
Correct performance jumped from about 5% to over 50% in the very first coached session. Gains held steady across all three sports without extra drills. One athlete went from zero clean landings to ten in a row after two practices.
How this fits with other research
Decasper et al. (1977) ran a similar football package three years earlier and saw a smaller 20% gain. The jump from 20% to ten-fold shows the value of adding positive practice and time-out to the mix.
Brobst et al. (2002) kept the feedback core but swapped in public posting and goal setting for high-school soccer. Skills rose in practice yet barely moved in real games, hinting that game-day transfer needs its own plan.
Park et al. (2025) later used a simpler BST-style kick lesson with autistic 7- to 8-year-olds. Their positive results stretch the same coaching logic to a developmental-disability group, showing the approach travels across populations.
Why it matters
You can lift athletic accuracy fast by packing five quick steps into one short huddle: tell, show, praise, rehearse, reset. Use it any time a learner stalls below 10% success. Add a later phase for game-day transfer if performance must survive new settings.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A review of the literature indicates that methods of skill acquisition based on the operant paradigm have been scientifically validated with many motor behaviors. However, these procedures have been limited to the use of positive reinforcement for correct performance when applied to the acquisition of complex sports skills in natural settings. To find complementary procedures to enhance skill acquisition, a coaching method involving several behavioral techniques was developed that focused on remediation of errors. This coaching method combined the following components: (1) systematic use of verbal instructions and feedback, (2) positive and negative reinforcement, (3) positive practice, and (4) time out. Three sports, football, gymnastics, and tennis, were selected to determine the effectiveness and generality of this behavioral coaching method. A total of 23 male and female subjects, ranging in age from 11 to 35, was included in this study. Baseline data were first collected for each sport under standard coaching conditions. Next, the behavioral coaching method was evaluated depending on the sport in either a multiple baseline or a reversal design. The behavioral dimensions selected were blocking in football; backward walkovers, front hand springs, and reverse kips in gymnastics; and the forehand, backhand, and serve in tennis. Behavioral coaching was immediately effective in increasing the correct execution of complex skills in all three sports. Gains of up to 10 times the baseline performance were achieved in each sport. In football, behavioral coaching resulted in an increase in correct blocking performance from a baseline average of 5% to 51.3%. Gymnasts' performances increased from baseline averages of 2.7% to 52.6% across the three skills. In tennis, standard coaching produced an average of 6% correct performance which increased dramatically under behavioral coaching to 57% across the three strokes. The success of the behavioral coaching package used here suggests that a technology of behavior may offer additional and complementary strategies to the acquisition of motor skills in the natural environment.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1980 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1980.13-297