Verbal and nonverbal behavior of swimming coaches and the effect on athletes’ perceived performance

Abstract Aim. The aim of the research is to explore the effect of verbal and nonverbal communication of swimming coaches on athletes’ perception of their own immediate evolution. The correlation between swimmers’ performance (expressed by the FINA score) and athletes’ perception regarding their own immediate performance following verbal and nonverbal behavior of coaches was, also, examined. Material and method. Forty-six competitive swimmers, aged between 14 and 31 years old, (32 males and 14 females) took part in the study. A 12 items opinion questionnaire (created by the authors) was used to investigate the immediate effects (on athletes) of coaches’ verbal and nonverbal behavior (nonverbal positive and nonverbal negative feedback, verbal positive and verbal negative feedback from coaches). Results. Pearson correlation revealed significant positive links between swimmers’ performances (FINA score) and their perception regarding their own immediate evolution following verbal and nonverbal feedback from coaches. Swimmers with higher FINA scores feel that positive verbal and nonverbal feedback from coaches helps them more, compared to athletes with a lower FINA score. Next, using the independent samples t-test, gender-related and age-related differences were examined, in terms of swimmers’ perception of their own immediate evolution/performance following coaches’ communication style. Conclusions. Female athletes and seniors (regardless of gender) reported that their immediate performance will be more affected by both verbal and nonverbal negative feedback from coaches. Moreover, seniors feel greater receptivity to positive feedback, especially verbal (compared to juniors).