This study aims to investigate the communicative content of nonverbal (emotion) expressions of soccer coaches during a game and how these provide information about the current situation and how this information might impact players’ self-confidence during a game. In Studies 1 (N = 137) and 2 (N = 102) we investigated if soccer coaches are estimated to be happier and are rated higher on dimensions related to social status when their team is leading compared to when it is trailing. Results showed that observers rated coaches as happier, more dominant, more proud, and more confident when their team was leading. In Study 3 (N = 152), participants watched short videos depicting the coach's NVB during a game and rated whether the coach's team was trailing or leading. The results showed that observers could clearly distinguish between leading and trailing coaches. In the fourth study, 72 soccer players were asked to watch the same videos from the first three studies and rate their own level of confidence in reaction to the coach's NVB in a hypothetical scenario. The results indicate that a coach's NVB can influence his athletes' self-confidence during a game. The practical implications of the findings regarding the body language of coaches are discussed.
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