Critical Thinking: Learn How Coaches Think Through A Football Game In Interpreting Life Situations

In a time period where the world is on fire, where #CORONA and #BLM are the most common used hashtags (sadly so). I keep thinking about the development of coaches. One of the most important aspects of this development is the ability for critical thinking: the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas and place/ use them in the appropriate context. 

Good coaching is based on reflective and independent thinking. Good coaches are active learners rather than passive recipients of information. 

In this information-age there is no shortage of information. But, like in the development of coaches, it is important to filter and use the information that helps to grow as a person and for  the improvement of our society as a whole. 

Unfortunately, instead of critical thinking I see a lot of thinking mistakes when it comes to the information on the corona virus or the fight against racism. 

Many thinking mistakes come from a bias. Below some that are used in coaching but are also very applicable to the current situation:

- Confirmation bias: the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms or support one's prior personal beliefs or values

- Ingroup bias: a pattern of favoring members of one’s in-group over out-group members. This can be expressed in evaluation of others or finding people that agree with you

- Observation bias: the tendency to see things the way you want to see them or expect  to see them

- Projection bias: the tendency to think that everyone thinks in the same way as yourself. This inhibits you to look at different issues in different ways

- System bias: having difficulty to break with old habits or the usual

- Social evidence: deciding what to do or what’s important, based on what other people do

- Authority bias: the tendency to attribute greater accuracy to the opinion of an authority figure (unrelated to its content) and be more influenced by that opinion

For coaches it is very important to realize that these biases can lead to thinking mistakes and therefore hinder their own growth and  development but also that of their players. The same holds true for the important issues we face today. 

Let’s use critical thinking to process the information and guidelines to fight the corona crisis.

 

Let’s use critical thinking in the fight against racism. A true coach doesn’t distinguish or discriminate based on color, faith, status, appearance,…….

Thanks to TeamNL