coincidentally David,

the initial thing that sparked this post was the fact that i have recently started to play competitive Squash again art a reasonable level. My mental skills (esp mental toughness) are taking much longer to return than other skills.

The interesting thing is that different approaches have been more effective at different times. It seems that this depends on the stage of the cycle of learning that i am in at the time.

The point is, you very quickly forget what you have learned, especialy when put in a pressure situation. You must be constantly reminded of some basic principles, and often in different ways.

Back to top

Hi Ray,
Glad to be of assistance.....the idea of individualising coaching to players is not new to most of us, however, the way you explain or demonstrate any one point will vary with individuals as not every person understands things the same. The coaches armoury should have many ways to show and explain the same point thus getting the message through.
If the message is not understood the player is not at fault(unless they are not coachable...this another discussion entirely)it is the coach that is at fault he/she must find the spark to gain improvement from the player, because if you are not improving why have have coaching unless it is a social thing.
With regard to sequencing this is just one method as you rightly point out, sequencing is used to promote good habits and once they become subconcious(dont have to be thought about)you can drop them. An example is the older player who played at a good level and has not played for many years but decides to play again, his/her raquet skills are still potent because they are ingrained(habit)and return quickly; where fitness movement and match hardness will take a longer to retun
All the best
David M.

Back to top

dear david

this post raises a couple of interesting points for me. while the content is makes sense, is logical and could be helpful, for some reason, your sequence struck a chord with me. Your points you make are very good.

The reason i find it interesting is that these type of sequences do NOT usually work well for me. I usually respond better to a theme or idea rather than a list. (this is a variation on the wholistic vs the segmented approach to coaching).

whilst i do use sequences occasionally in my coaching, especially when coaching novices or coaching a new skill, I ususally prefer to introduce ideas.

the whole point of this reply is that different people respond differently to approaches taken by their coach or whoever. having said that, i think it is helpful for us to look at things from a different angle from time to time, it can reinforce what we already know.

david, although your little progression says nothing new, it may well help me, beleive it or not, with a mental problem i have been having lately in my game.

the bad news is, that i doubt that it will help many other "nuts" out there!

thanks

Back to top