Articles & Tips
Coaching 101
Prepared by Sandy Millar, CSIA level IV, CSCF level III
How to Begin?
What is the first thing we need to accomplish in any lesson situation? (…Apart from the obvious names/logistics/timing issues)? The foundation of the lesson has to be a clear objective, agreed to by both instructor and student.
“Whatever the situation, if a clear goal is established at the beginning of your lesson, it will give direction, relevance, and context to both you as the instructor and to your student.”
For example, in a first-time lesson, that could be an objective of having the coach get to know the student’s skiing, strengths and weaknesses, so as to allow for targeted coaching.
In an on-going situation, the objective will be more targeted; perhaps you began working on edging skills yesterday with the aim of building confidence on the outside ski. Today’s objective is to develop stance and balance or pressure control to catch up with the increased resistance being generated through improved edging…
Whatever the situation, if a clear goal is established at the beginning of your lesson, it will give direction, relevance, and context to both you as the instructor and to your student.
What to Coach?
Rely on your skills model to give you a simple and clear framework for developing competence and confidence. Sometimes the tendency is to begin coaching immediately, without first carefully observing the student’s performance. Imagine going into your doctor’s office… “Have a seat”, says the doctor, whereupon she begins writing a prescription. “I would like you to take three of these tablets per day for the next two weeks. Call me after that. Oh, by the way, how are you feeling?” Sounds silly doesn’t it?! Be careful to do a thorough diagnosis before writing “prescriptions”. Then, tailor both skills and tactics to build confidence and competence.
How to Coach?
Here are a few simple guidelines or “how-to’s” for creating a productive and positive coaching environment.
- State the “success point”: What does “success” look like? What does it feel like? Begin by laying out a clear objective. Describe it, show it, demonstrate it, simulate it… Get the picture across so the student has a good chance of replicating the performance (tactics or skills).
- Acknowledge every success, no matter how small: Provide positive feedback to the student by telling them what is going well, what is working. Be specific, the student must have a foundation from which to work.
- Point out the solutions or areas for improvement. Rather than critiquing errors, try to provide a positive action alternative; “That was great. Now, this time lets add some more _______ (fill in the blank; skills, tactics, speed adjustment…) This approach is much more effective than a “don’t do that / don’t’lean back!” approach.
- Experiment until success is achieved. Success will not always come on the first attempt. Try not to get too analytical, simply keep trying, modifying as needed as you go, until the student reaches a “win”. Be realistic about the win. You often have to look very carefully to observe differences in performance. When you do see the success, acknowledge it loud and clear. This is the very best part of sharing our sport with others; that moment when the light-bulb goes on and the smile lights up.
Having a clear objective, together with a framework of “how-to-do-it’s” and “what-to-do’s” will help you help your students to the best of your ability. Keep practicing and Good Luck!