This quote came from a post a couple of years ago. Brad H, I thank you! Brad told the story of a player who told his basketball coach, “This sport is over-coached and under-taught”! This got me thinking of OC and UT situations in racquetball.
Here are some specific examples at all levels of play.
1. Ceiling ball maniacs-these players were coached to keep an opponent in the back court. They hit ceiling ball after ceiling ball but their shot selection allows an opponent to hang back and relax because the offensive part of shot selection was never taught! OC-UT! (over-coached and under-taught)
2. Player shows up on social media with their coach who is dropping hundreds of racquetballs on the court for their player to use horrible footwork and mechanics to hit setups. Player is never corrected. OC-UT!
3. Coach begins calling serves in a National or World tournament. Athlete never learns “why” they should use all these different serves. OC-UT!
4. Athlete is whipping up on an opponent. Opponent calls time out. Coach of winning athlete instructs that athlete for the entire time out; why? OC-UT! (only thing a coach can do at that point is mess it up!)
5. Athlete is told to hit a serve. Athlete wants to change that serve. Coach is furious and wants to control the match. Coach-at least listen to your athlete! They may have a good reason for changing that serve! (Oh, and that was my athlete you were coaching-and they did have a good reason!) OC-UT!
The point is -“why” this shot or this serve? It should be taught so the athlete can eventually self-coach! The goal is to have an athlete who can focus on the process and not the outcome! Teach the game as well as coach the game!!
Onward and upward!
Coach W