This is what i do for a living. Each day I log on my computer and gather the videos in my uplink box. I then take the video and go over it for my athletes. I am looking for positioning, shot selection, and movement patterns. I then slow the video down to go frame by frame and unlike some of the straight line things you see out on the internet my software is pretty cool.
Some time ago I held court at the USA Nationals and had a pretty good crowd look at what I do. One of the cool things is that in the crowd were two of my peers, who also charge for coaching. The video is only part of what I do. I also work to build a training schedule around the athlete’s lifestyle. I go over weaknesses and tendencies of opponents as well. Then we get to the subtle things.
Let’s pretend you are the athlete-I’m the coach. You just lost in whatever round-fill in the blank. Now the following is not baloney–I am looking at the video and I can see that you are improving. I can point out why you lost or I can say the following.
Me: “That tournament you just played in was a good showing. I am not concerned about winning or losing. At this point it is improving. You are improving and I can see it.”
That, my friends is coaching. The athlete may not see the improvement as they are looking at (and thinking of during the match) outcome. I do my best to focus on process for improvement and motivation.