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How to Coach to Culture: Tips for Cross-Culture Communication in Sport

  • April 1, 2024
  • Respect & Accountability
Coaches

Nadia Kyba headshot.Cross-culture communication is exactly what it sounds like: Being able to communicate in an honest, productive, healthy way with all the athletes on your team, regardless of their cultural, ethnic, or racial background, as well as gender, sexuality, or religion. Showing that you’re open and respectful of everyone’s backgrounds and beliefs can take some work on your part, but it can be extremely rewarding and can create a stronger team as a result.

Here, TrueSport Expert Nadia Kyba, MSW, President of Now What Facilitation, explains exactly how you as a coach can take simple steps to improve your cross-culture communication skills—and improve your team as a result.

“If you’re a coach who is a heterosexual white man, you likely have a different set of beliefs, values, and worldviews than a Black athlete or gay athlete on your team,” Kyba says. Better communication begins with education. You can start by understanding what equity (versus equality) looks like on your team, dependent on things like economic backgrounds, religious practices, and cultural norms.

“If you have a worldview where you’re just seeing things through your perspective and not engaging in other perspectives on the same topics, it can be hard to connect with people who are doing things differently,” Kyba says. That means you need to be asking questions, listening to your athletes, and paying attention when differences of opinion arise.

As a coach, it may be tempting to stick to your current communication style and rules. But if you educate yourself and make your team a more culturally inclusive place to be, you may be surprised at the number of new players you bring to the squad. “You may realize that your team has broader appeal when you’re willing to be more open, and that will make your team stronger and more successful as a result,” Kyba says.

There are a few simple starting points you can use to normalize cultural differences in sport.

 

Offer many uniform options

Young woman in hijah playing soccer.Some athletes may have religious or cultural requirements for uniforms. You can normalize this by offering a wide range of uniform choices early in the season. Including options like a hijab in team colors, different head coverings that allow for different types of hair, and different lengths of shorts / sleeves on shirts allow athletes to choose what makes them feel comfortable.

For example, Kyba notes that on a volleyball team, the short shorts that are standard for athletes to wear may make some students opt out of playing because they’re so uncomfortable in that clothing. Offering a longer option may keep more athletes playing!

This is a great way to show athletes before the season even starts that you’re an open team. Even if you aren’t sure any athlete on the team will need a hijab or a different length of shorts, having them listed as an option shows that your team is welcoming to all.

 

Start with a land acknowledgement

At your first practice, Kyba suggests reading a land acknowledgement. As Native Land explains, this is a way to “insert an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life.” Information about your particular area can be found using the Native Land app or website, as well as information about how to present your findings.

Doing this not only respects Indigenous communities, Kyba notes that it shows willingness on your part to be open to cross-culture conversations. “By doing a territory acknowledgment, you’re setting the tone for the season,” she adds. “You’re showing that you want this team to be open to everyone and respectful of everyone’s cultures.”

 

Check your pronoun usage

Avoid using terms like “you guys” when addressing a group or using gender-specific pronouns when you’re addressing individuals, unless you’ve been informed of their pronouns. Say ‘hey everyone,’ rather than ‘hey guys’ when addressing the team. And ’they’ is now an acceptable option versus using ‘he’ or ’she’ when talking about an individual athlete. If someone asks where Billy is during practice, you can say, “They went to the locker room” without being grammatically incorrect.

 

Do your own research

If you know that athletes on your team are of the Muslim or Jewish faith, you can read articles about their traditions and their practices to gain a deeper understanding and respect for their needs. For instance, a Jewish athlete may abstain from practice or competition and not respond to any email or phone communications from Friday evening through Saturday night while observing the Sabbath.

 

Institute an open-door policy

Make sure athletes know they can talk to you if they have any problems or special requests. This might, for example, allow an athlete who has a specific cultural or religious dietary need to talk to you before going away for a weekend-long competition. And it creates space for an athlete to let you know that they’re uncomfortable sharing a room with another athlete at the same competition. It also makes it easy for an athlete who may be in a different economic tier than their teammates to tell you that they can’t afford to participate in that event without assistance. If athletes don’t think you’re open to hearing from them, you’re likely to end up with a much smaller team!

These small steps take some effort on your part, but they can make a big impact on your athletes and change the dynamics of the team for the better.

 

 ______________________________

Takeaway

As a coach, there are simple things you can do to improve cross-culture communication within your team. Doing this not only shows respect for the different players, but it can also make your team more appealing to a diverse group of athletes, which can lead to a stronger team overall. Small changes like adding a land acknowledgement before practice, creating different uniform options, and simply letting athletes know that you are open to making change can make a big difference.

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Goal-Setting Lesson Video Transcript

Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

A Good Sport Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.

What Kind of Coach Do You Want to Be? Video Transcript

Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.

You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.

I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.