Coaching people vs teaching racquetball to people; that is a subtle difference. Teaching someone return of serve may go like this:
Work with them on the court. Work on their footwork. Collect the money. Make an appointment for the next lesson and go home.
Coaching return of serve would go like this.
Work with them on the court after you ask how much time they have to put into their game. When you find out they are going on a religous retreat, going to a family reunion, traveling to Costa Rica, or studying for the ACTs,you have a decision to make. You must take all of the above and honor their commitments to family, Religion, and education. Then together we develop a plan based on the schedule and have that athlete do their best.
Many times my athletes have won with all of the above tasks. Why? Peace of mind for my athletes because they did the right thing! Me? The last thing in the world I want to do is force someone to train when they want to be somewhere else. It does not mean they have a bad attitude but it does mean enduring some losses in these situations. But you know what? I have peace of mind too!
That is one of the differences between Coaching an athlete and teaching an athlete! (There are other examples for sure!)