I have a weekly newsletter I send out to my families, friends, and players I coach. In this newsletter I try to include some training science, useful advice, and relevant information to the racquetball wars. Some time ago this happened and I included it in my weekly newsletter. It proved so popular I am releasing it to the public because I think it is super-appropriate.
One of my athletes had to compete in a big tournament. In this tournament the athlete had to raise the money for travel, expenses, training, and then compete with no active coach due to lack of funds. This athlete trained with me to prepare for this tournament. We found a great scrimmage partner and worked on match play scenarios. After days of this the athlete flew to the tournament and played and did a great job, and became a national hero because she medaled in the last World Games.
The online streaming announcers kept emphasizing this athlete had no coach and was at a huge disadvantage. As I was watching my athlete play on the replay of the match (no online live action video was visible to me) I thought quite the opposite. My athlete had a huge advantage because they had been coached to coach themselves. After the fundamentals have been worked on, game management and self-coaching is the key. My parents of my junior athletes all learn to coach too if they sit in on my sessions long enough.
“Feel the game” is one of my favorite sayings. I remember days of “what is happening here?” as I was getting pummeled in my early days of racquetball. When I arrived at being able to manage the game and know how to change serves and strategies, my game improved and I was in control, not my opponent. Luckily I had to coach and had to figure it out match by match and tournament by tournament.
If I had one coach with me all the time telling me how to play and what serve to hit, I definitely would have had a much slower learning curve.
I remember someone telling me years ago-“You will love working with this player-they will do everything you tell them to!”
I’m thinking, “I want players to argue with me and be sure they are right (within reason). I am not playing the matches, I am coaching the matches! I want independent players, not dependent ones!
I used to take my juniors through this exercise-my classroom kids too-
Repeat after me-
I must think for myself!
Response: I must think for myself!”
I must not blindly repeat things people tell me to!
Response: Confusion!
Me: Gotcha!