Researchers wanted to see "the relationship between verbal aggression and state anxiety (somatic, cognitive and self-confidence)" between coaches and athletes in a gender-specific sport such as volleyball (Bekiari et al., 2006, p. 630). Results examining both genders showed that males had higher levels of somatic anxiety due to verbal aggression from their coaches compared to female volleyball players (Bekiari et al., 2006). These results could be due to the type of training and competitiveness, but they nevertheless show how the use of language can still have different effects on athletes. Further research conducted by Julie Masterson, Lisa Davies, and Gerald Masterson demonstrated that coaches should “use positive instruction rather than negative feedback” to encourage their athletes (2006, p. 41). This supports the idea that verbal aggression is harmful, and research “consistently shows that verbal aggression can be associated with negative outcomes and learned helplessness,” two aspects that can be seen in sports that contribute to the language used (Bekiari et al., 2006, p.