Badminton Practice – different viewpoints

We were both looking at the same practice

But we had different thoughts and viewpoints

If you work closely with other coaches do you ask them what their desire is for practice

I was working with another coach, we were looking at the same player but we were looking at the practice with completely different viewpoints.  I find it interesting that coaches very rarely talk about what they are expecting from a badminton practice, especially with the assistant coaches.

Yes, they talk about what technique is favoured or what practice they may set.  However, their expectations from the practice and how they will act to achieve that aren’t often discussed.  Do you agree?

This is a summary of our conversations over a few sessions.  To create some thoughts for you to consider, I have polarized our viewpoints.  We probably weren’t that far apart in our thinking, but we did realise that we viewed practice differently sometimes.

Which viewpoints do you most often align with?

Viewpoint 1

• One of us was looking to gain maximum development (improvement) within that session.
• If the player was struggling in the practice it would be changed (lower the challenge point)  to increase the chance of immediate success.
• ‘Critical’ advice (technical mainly) would be offered readily and often.  Instructing the player what to do and try in order to succeed.
• The desire for success within the practice is seen as essential for a great session.

Viewpoint 2

• The coach is less concerned with practice performance and more in search of glimpses of improvements within tougher/challenging practices.
• Mistakes seem to be ignored.  Coaches praise the player when an attempt went ‘wrong, but still leave the challenge point alone.
• They seemed to say less, only using encouragement and do not constantly change the practice, allowing players to struggle.
• The desire seemed to be that a little struggle mixed with encouragement is enough for a session.

Afterwards, I wondered

• Is it me (and maybe not the player) that feels the desire to constantly push for immediate improvements?
• Are the improvements we see really examples of deeper learning, as they sometimes seem to disappear between sessions?
• Maybe badminton practice (even errorful practice) should not be changed too quickly.
• What is my definition of success in practice?  What challenge point is most effective?
• If I see a chance to offer advice (especially technical) what could I consider before giving it?

If you work closely with other coaches how often do you have these conversations?

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As always, I’m very grateful if you have read this far 🙂

It would be great to hear what conversations you have with your coaching friends.

Maybe you don’t think that there is a need to have different or multiple viewpoints

Why not send me an email  contact@badmintonandy.com

This is part of a series of conversation starters. 

Although not in detail, the posts are written to get you thinking and talking with others.