Coach Communication in Boxing – Round 5: Coaching Identity

Insight has highlighted some of the micro level features of talk that you can rely on to perform important functions in between rounds. We can also use these findings to consider what these choices signal at a broader level, particularly in relation to your coaching identity in these between-round talks.

Because there are many different ways of performing between-round talks, what do the strategies that you select suggest about the identity that you’re constructing in and through your talks with boxers?

Here are four often overlapping identities coaches appear to perform across the different stages of these between-round talks:

Coaches can move seamlessly from guardian to strategist or teacher to motivator. In fact, you might find yourself using all of the above identities during a single bout.

Combining relational and transactional strategies is an important aspect of effective leadership. It can help you to achieve your aims and empower the boxers to perform at their best.

Here are some examples of relational and transactional strategies:

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