In its most basic sense, we know that a handrail is something that offers support and guides us towards our desired direction.
Conversely, handcuffs restrain our movement, and force us to conform.
Consider whether these coaching interventions are more like handrails or handcuffs? –
- Don’t go any further than this amount on your follow through on the volley’
- ‘Try and get your racket to always finish like this…up here!’
- ‘Make sure that you get your weight forward on the next shot’
- ‘Where did you notice the ball made contact with your racket face then?
- ‘How much did you feel you pushed the ground away then on that serve?’
- ‘How much topspin did you see on the ball you hit just then? ..And this one, ..and what about this one?’
There’s also a subtlety in coaching process, that is helpful to be aware of!
Even though we are putting handrails in place, a learner might over-ride these in favour of an inherited way of learning, one that they have been conditioned to follow most of their lives, which includes 2 very familiar saboteurs: over-thinking, and, over-trying.
I might say to someone who is looking to hit with more power to just notice how fast their racket moves on contact… In some part of their mind, they immediately equate power with speed of racket which translates to trying hard to move the racket faster at contact. It’s like they go into trying really hard to do what they think is the right way to do it….. This creates a lot of excess physical tension dampening down the power which then leads to feelings of frustration as the power doesn’t come…
Can you see how these 2 saboteurs could put the handcuffs back on the learner unintentionally, and they are not even coming from us?
Handrail style interventions can support more natural learning, and develop in the learner a feeling of confidence, that ‘they did it’.
As Tim Gallwey, author of the Inner Game of Tennis said,
‘Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them’.
If you would like to explore how to create more learning rather than teaching environments through a way of communication and being, then please get in touch….