By David Regner
Edited by Dr. Thomas Orr
Receiving criticism is an uncomfortable and oftentimes painful experience, yet it is one of the most important ways we grow and reach the goals we want to achieve. Even giving criticism to other people, especially if you know them very well and care about them, can be an uncomfortable feeling because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. But is it better not to receive criticism or not hand out criticism, and only receive and hand out praise, if it impedes on the growth of an athlete trying to become the best that they can be? That is where criticism, or negative feedback in the context of sports, can actually be valuable. But when negative feedback is delivered in a disrespectful way, or the content of the feedback itself is belittling and does not point specifically at what needs to be improved, then that is where problems can emerge. Essentially, what we say and how we say impacts how criticism is received and can negatively impact an athlete’s performance in different ways. This article will articulate the best practices that coaches, teachers, parents, teammates and all stakeholders can utilize when in a situation where criticism may be warranted.
The goal of receiving and giving negative feedback is so that we can improve in the areas of our performance where we are not strong in, and so that we can help others do the same. I think every athlete recognizes that they have areas where they could get better in for their particular sport, whether that be having the proper form to throwing a softball, shooting a basketball, hitting a baseball, etc. The problem is that because athletes are limited to their own perspective or point of view to how they are performing, it is not always easy to determine where they are falling short. Thus, having coaches, peers, or people that the athlete trusts, see where they our falling short and communicate that to them is a valuable component to training and reaching their goals to perform at their very best.
Coach justifying feedback to tennis player with use of device.
It has even been shown in a neurophysiological way that negative social feedback under moderate stress can help improve one’s performance (Balconi et al., 2024). The study had participants do a moderately stressful job interview, and each received positive or negative feedback in varying degrees. Specifically, one thing that was found was that participants had activation in the right and left temporal lobes and the left occipital lobe, which showed an “adaptive response to stress and emotion-regulatory processes” (Balconi et al., 2024, p. 6030). At the neurophysiological level, we see that receiving negative feedback in moderate amounts of stress, not too much or too little, is good for adapting to situations and growing from one’s mistakes in the process.
While giving negative feedback is crucial and beneficial for an athlete’s performance, one of the most common and challenging problems that is encountered with negative feedback or criticism how to communicate that feedback to the athlete without negatively affecting the athlete’s future performance. A possible negative outcome of giving criticism to an athlete is that they are highly likely to not feel good about it in the moment. It is normal not to feel good when receiving negative feedback because it points out something that we lack in, especially when it gets in the way of our goals and performing at one’s very best. Not liking negative feedback is what can help the athlete to improve and perform better so that they do not receive that same feedback in the future. The major problem comes when the negative feedback that is given to the athlete actually hinders their performance, rather than building it up. In extreme cases, it can reveal itself as abuse to players, similar to what happened to Mike Rice. Mike Rice was formerly the men’s basketball coach for Rutgers, and a video surfaced that showed him verbally and physically abusing his players during practice (CBS, 2013). This included throwing basketballs at his players, shoving them, and hurling insults at them, and eventually Mike Rice was fired for his abusive behavior. That kind of feedback that players get from their coaches is the opposite of what should happen in sports, and it does not promote growth or improvement at all. What we communicate and how we do so can have a major impact on others, for better or for worse, and it is important to know how a person is impacted by poor communication of negative feedback. Below are more studies that investigate in what ways negative feedback can impact us, both positively and negatively.
Research by Wei et al. (2023) showed that when an increase in the amount of negative feedback was given among workers of a communications equipment company in China, or when feedback given increased over time, performance among the workers suffered by reducing their commitment to their goals. Essentially, the more negative feedback they received, the less likely they were to stick with their goals. However, having a growth mindset weakened this effect. Workers who displayed a higher growth mindset did not succumb as easily to the pressure of the increasing amounts of negative feedback received. Having to receive negative feedback frequently is very discouraging and it is less likely to help a person improve from their performance, whether work or sports related, to reach one’s goals. However, if the study shows that the negative effect was weakened by a growth mindset, than it is very likely that adopting a growth mindset is beneficial in situations where negative feedback is given depending on the frequency. This highlights the importance of developing a growth mindset as a way to help an athlete stick to their goals and not be discouraged by negative feedback and undesirable performances.
Fernandez-Ozcorta et al. (2024) conducted research on how the different types of negative feedback have an impact on learning of motor tasks, which connect well with sport performance, which usually, if not always, involve motor tasks. Negative social normative feedback, (NF) or feedback that describes one’s performance as having been worse than their peers, given in an attributional way to participants resulted in higher scores on dart throwing, whereas negative social NF given in a non-attributional way resulted in lower scores and diminished motivation (see Appendix). An attributional way of giving feedback means giving feedback that has three characteristics: internal (based on the person), controllable (within the person’s control), and unstable (does not persist over time). A non-attributional way has the following characteristics: internal, uncontrollable (outside the person’s control), and stable (persists over time). In other words, the study showed that negative feedback, when given in a way that emphasizes more of an internal locus of control, predicted improved motor learning and task performance rather than giving feedback that emphasizes an external locus of control.
How we manage our emotions when faced with criticism or negative feedback is important for athletes to know about. Two out of five studies conducted by Grundmann et al. (2024) showed that the experience of negative feedback tended to increase the significance of the goal to feel better from the negative affect associated with the negative feedback. The remaining studies showed that a goal to perform better, instead of feel better, when facing negative feedback influences the emotion regulation strategies used. They were more likely to prefer reappraisal, or learning, than distraction. It is easy to prioritize the goal of feeling better and to distract oneself from the negative feelings that are experienced. But teaching athletes the importance of allowing those feelings to be experienced and helping them emphasize goals to perform better from negative feedback will be more effective in the long run.
Nasso et al. (2022) did research on cognitive reappraisal and expectations in dealing with social feedback on female, college-aged participants. The results showed that the negative affect participants experienced was reduced when they were told to reappraise, instead of engaging in no regulation strategies. Shifting the focus to learning and seeing the feedback from a different perspective helped with experiencing fewer negative feelings. However, reappraisal did not work as well when participants were expecting the feedback to occur vs not expecting the feedback. If athletes are expecting negative feedback or criticism to occur, especially if they are expecting it frequently, then that can hinder their ability to respond to the feedback in an adaptive and regulated manner. Thus, it is important for coaches and teachers to emphasize the importance of view the negative feedback in a different perspective and learn from it, but also to not give negative feedback to the point where athletes are expecting it constantly.
Knowing the impact that negative feedback can have on an athlete makes it more significant to train coaches to give negative feedback effectively that benefits the players. One tip that Olympic coaches often practice and that other coaches should incorporate is giving real-time feedback to their athletes (Herd, 2026). Not waiting around to give feedback, whether that’s negative or positive, but to give it when those mistakes are made or improvements are made helps the athlete know that they are getting timely feedback to get after what they have received. It is also important for coaches to be specific in the feedback that they give and relate it to the performance, and not the athlete (Myriam-Glez, 2023). Former head basketball coach for Duke University, Mike Krzyzewski, mentions how easing into the conversation when giving negative feedback can help with delivering the feedback, which includes reading body language and being aware of one’s tone of voice (Masterclass, 2022). One other important point mentioned by Weinberg and Gould in Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (2024) is to give negative feedback in parts if it appears to be complex or hard for the athlete to follow. This helps the athlete better identify specific areas in which they can improve their performance.
Negative feedback can really influence how we perform depending on how the feedback is given or received. Being able to give or receive negative feedback is a valuable skill in the context of sports and helps us become the best versions of ourselves. The problem is when negative feedback becomes destructive or abusive to the one receiving it, and in today’s society it is increasingly more significant that a player’s mental and emotional wellbeing is considered while also helping them improve via negative feedback. Not giving too much negative feedback, giving it in such a way that the athlete believes they can make changes to improve, focusing on performance goals, developing growth mindset, and having reappraisal from the negative feedback are good strategies for making it more effective in sport performance. Also giving feedback in real-time, easing into those conversations with athletes, and breaking the feedback down into specific parts are also effective ways for negative feedback to build up athletes. Negative feedback usually, if not every time, stings when we receive it, and it can be hard for those giving it to do so in a constructive way. Like any other valuable skill, giving and receiving negative feedback takes time to develop. But the more coaches, and even athletes, practice the skills of giving and receiving negative feedback, the better the athletes will handle the negative feelings associated with it and not be easily discouraged from the sports performance goals they strive to accomplish.
References
Balconi, M., Angioletti, L., & Rovelli, K. (2024). Neurophysiological response to social feedback in stressful situations. European Journal of Neuroscience, 60(8), 6030–6045. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16528
CBS Interactive. (2013). Mike Rice fired by Rutgers after video shows coach abusing players. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-rice-fired-by-rutgers-after-video-shows-coach-abusing-players/
Coach K on giving feedback: 5 tips. MasterClass. (2022). https://www.masterclass.com/articles/coach-k-on-giving-feedback
Fernández-Ozcorta, E. J., Arbinaga, F., Checa, I., Romero-Pérez, N., Cano-Manzano, P., & Godoy-Izquierdo, D. (2024). Short-term effect of attributional versus non-attributional negative normative feedback on motor tasks: A double-blind study. Applied Sciences, 14(21), 9865–9880. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14219865
Glez, M. (2023). Ground rules: The importance of communication and feedback in Sport. American Baseball Coaches Association – Home. https://www.abca.org/magazine/magazine/2023-3-May-June/Ground_Rules_Importance_of_Communication.aspx
Grundmann, F., Epstude, K., & Scheibe, S. (2024). Whether and how to regulate: Emotion regulation in negative-feedback situations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(5), 1281–1308. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001566
Herd, A. (2026). What lympic coaches teach us about real-time performance feedback. SmartBrief. https://www.smartbrief.com/original/what-olympic-coaches-teach-us-about-real-time-performance-feedback
Nasso, S., Vanderhasselt, M.-A., Schettino, A., & De Raedt, R. (2022). The role of cognitive reappraisal and expectations in dealing with social feedback. Emotion, 22(5), 982–991. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000825
Wei, F., Xu, L., Hu, X., Chang, S. C., & Wu, Y. (2023). Negative feedback change and employee performance: A goal-setting theory perspective. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 41(4), 2155–2178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-023-09908-2
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2024). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Human Kinetics.
Appendix
Negative Normative Feedback Given in Attributional vs Non-Attributional Methods