College Basketball Coaches Talk Nonverbal Communication and Body Language By Dan Geibler

            In the world of sports and competition, nonverbal communication, and understanding the way your opponents communicate is essential for success. In baseball, knowing what pitch the catcher is signaling for the pitcher to throw, or if the base coach is telling the runner to steal or stay. In football, when the quarterback moves a wide out from his left to right, or motions for the tight end in the slot to move back to the line to block. Nonverbal communication is a huge factor in sports, and in most cases determines if a team of player is good or great.

            The article focuses on the Northern Florida Men’s Basketball Coach, Matthew Driscoll, giving Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery advice by telling him his players need to get ‘thicker skin’. By ‘thicker skin’, Driscoll means show more confidence and be able to maintain composure while on the court. Iowa had a tougher schedule early coming into the game 9-4, and the 13^th best shooting percentage in the Big Ten at 40.7%. Driscoll added that when the Hawkeyes missed shots they had a tendency to react negatively, dropping their heads, which also hurt their confidence and made them more likely to play aggressive on defense due to recent underperformance offensively. MaCaffery, credited Driscoll as a great coach whom he respects, and agreed that the Hawkeyes need to shoot better as a team which will ultimately improve their confidence.

            As someone who has played a lot of basketball, whether in organized play or pickup games, a player’s confidence on the court effects how he plays the next possession, and the rest of the game. A lot of times, when a player makes a shot they smile or throw up three fingers after a three, or say ‘lets go’ after a big shot, this also affects the defense. A coach once taught me that when a player who is guarding very well begins to get comfortable or more confident not to worry. Many of times has an opponent been dominate over defensively, but you can also learn that when they show their confidence and comfort guarding you they begin to play what’s called a ‘half step’ off you at times and often give you more space then usual because they don’t believe in you. This is always the perfect opportunity for you to take an uncontested shot, it’s least expected at this time, because the player has been showing that they don’t think you’re capable of playing them in coverage, or a good player at all. In my opinion, this is just lazy or cocky playing, and I agree with Driscoll that basketball is a sport you need to play with ‘thick skin’ and show no negative emotions to your opponents. When you see a player you’re guarding miss a shot and he puts his head down, not only does missing the shot negatively effect his confidence, it positively effects you because you know that you’re beginning to shut someone down. But this shouldn’t be where your playing stops or gets comfortable, this should make you guard the player more closely on the next shot, and even closer and harder on the third. By doing this you not only take them out of the game for a possession or so, you take them out of the entire game because they have shot poorly all game. This is why it’s essential to never let your opponent know you’re feeling down, and make sure you’re playing at a level where he isn’t expressing that he is confident also.

Link to article: http://muscatinejournal.com/sports/basketball/iowa-s-body-language-key-to-shooting-woes/article_5966642a-04b3-53e7-88b9-5bceb84b5e62.html