2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Coach Feature Story
Harbaugh's methods show power of positive coaching
By Matt Barrows, Sacramento Bee
In the spring of 2004, Eric Bakhtiari was a skinny redshirt freshman from Burlingame who figured he was
a pretty good player that would blend into the mix that year on the University of San Diego defense.
That is, until incoming coach Jim Harbaugh pulled him aside one day.
"He told me I wasn't a good player, I was a great player," Bakhtiari said. "I thought someone else was in
the room. I didn't think he was talking to me."
The exchange was a seminal moment in Bakhtiari's football career. He completed his four seasons with
the Toreros with 34 1/2 sacks and 66 1/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Six years later, he's
reunited with Harbaugh and appears close to landing a spot on the 49ers' 53-man roster.
Bakhtiari is not the only player to be dazzled by a Harbaugh compliment – often a conspicuous public
compliment. Last year, Alex Smith received a barrage of praise from Harbaugh, who called him "elite" and
said he deserved a spot in the Pro Bowl.
This year, Harbaugh said Michael Crabtree had the best hands he'd ever seen and insisted that
beleaguered rookie A.J. Jenkins would be an outstanding wide receiver.
To sports psychologists, Harbaugh's style is known as positive coaching, and they see it as part of a
movement away from the traditional, profane, in-your-face style symbolized by coaches such as Bill
Parcells, Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher.
To players, Harbaugh's rosy, public appraisals build loyalty in their coach and faith in themselves.
"It's positive, and it builds up people's confidence," said offensive lineman Derek Hall, who played for
Harbaugh at Stanford. "And it makes you feel tighter with the coaches. He's always preaching that you
want to build up your teammates when you're talking with the media – a rising tide lifts all ships."
Smith's experiences with his first two NFL head coaches were very different. His first, Mike Nolan, publicly
questioned Smith's toughness after the quarterback tried to play despite a badly separated shoulder. The
second, Mike Singletary, famously and furiously challenged Smith on the sideline during a nationally
televised game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"I don't want to speak for the other guys, but it's nice to have a coach who isn't going to publicly throw you
under the bus," Smith said. "There are a lot of things that happen on the practice field and in games that
people don't always see or get credit for. And I love the fact that he let's that be known."
Larry Lauer, a sports psychologist at Michigan State, said that when Pete Carroll became coach of the
New York Jets in 1994, he was criticized for his rah-rah style, which observers doubted would be effective
in an NFL locker room. That style has become more prevalent.
Lauer said it may be that young people today are more interested in positive feedback than previous
generations.
"And they're more attuned to that," said Lauer, who works with high school wrestling coaches. "We like
the Harbaugh method at our level."
Rick McGuire, the head of the University of Missouri's sports psychology program, said the positive
coaching method is more meaningful than the alternative and ends up having a more enduring effect on
athletes. And he said he was glad to see coaches like Harbaugh, Carroll and former Indianapolis Colts
coach Tony Dungy be successful in the NFL.