5 Reasons to Implement Self-Assessments

Between 50% to 90% of sports are mental. And we know that any mental hurdles can significantly impact a player's performance. However, it can be hard to dive into a player's mindset to know exactly what those mental hurdles are. That is, until SkillShark's self-assessments.

With self-assessments, players answer a series of questions that allow them to reflect on their abilities. For example, they may be asked, "How would you rank your [insert skill] ability?" From here, coaches can understand what mental hurdles their athletes are experiencing, allowing them to develop a game plan for improvement.

This blog uncovers the top benefits of running athlete self-assessments throughout the season. Let's dive in!

1. Boost Confidence

Self-awareness plays a pivotal role in boosting confidence and self-esteem among athletes. Incorporating self-assessments allows players to concentrate solely on their individual game.

Athletes often make unhealthy comparisons with their peers, eroding their self-confidence. In many cases, seeking social approval excessively can lead to a fear of failure. The most consistent and successful athletes find ways to focus on their own performance. Self-assessments are a significant piece of the puzzle regarding enhancing sports performance because they foster self-reflection.

2. Increase Self-Knowledge

To build confidence, athletes must first develop self-awareness. Often, there is a substantial disconnect between how athletes think they perform vs their actual performance.

SkillShark's athlete self-assessment reports provide coaches with a digital overview, enhancing their understanding of their athletes' mental state. Mentally mature athletes can often pinpoint areas for improvement, whereas less mature athletes may be less aware.

3. Promote Goal Setting

Goal setting gives athletes a clear direction, boosts motivation, and improves focus. So why not implement it into your regular season?

Goal setting is a breeze with SkillShark. Athletes can easily set goals that are specific to the skills they are being evaluated on. I.e., "In three months, I want to score higher on my throwing accuracy." When the time comes, they can look back to see whether they achieved their goal. If not, it becomes a learning opportunity to understand what needs more focus.

4. Strengthens Coach-Athlete Relationships

Trying to get an athlete to open up during a one-to-one discussion warrants a plethora of challenges. Athletes might not feel comfortable opening up about what they feel they could improve on. On the other hand, some athletes lack the communication skills to effectively articulate their concerns during a formal meeting.

Athlete self-assessments provide a relaxed environment for athletes to reflect on and share their performance. Upon review, coaches will have a better understanding of an athlete's perspective. When athletes feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and coaches gain a clear understanding of their self-assessment, this strengthens the coach-athlete relationship.

5. Improves Tactical Decisions

When self-assessment results are made available to coaches, this can help them determine how practices should be structured moving forward. I.e., If a coach determines that several basketball athletes don't feel super confident in their dribbling ability, they can:

• Break skills into steps. I.e., Focus on stationary dribbling before adding in any movement.

• Offer immediate & specific feedback.

• Encourage at-home practice (if possible).

Wrapping Up

Implementing athlete self-assessments is just as important as any other type of player evaluation. Equipping athletes with the resources they need to self-reflect on their skill set and abilities can enhance their performance physically and mentally.

Interested in integrating self-assessments into your player evaluations? See what SkillShark has to offer: an all-in-one software to easily score athletes, dive into player insights, conduct self-assessments and more.