Introducing the badminton overhead – P4

Beginner, Challenges, Overheads

How to transfer the information

The information you believe is important

What’s the most effective way to pass this on to beginners?

How important is it that the players know all that you know

This post examines the various ways (the methods) that coaches use to communicate information to players.

My aim is for you to consider why verbal (telling/instructing/questions) seems to be the go-to method.

Why should you consider whether there are other ways.

You may feel challenged or ‘prickled’ at some of the points raised. My aim is to give you ideas to help make the learning a little easier and to create more smiles than struggles in your coaching sessions 🙂

The methodologies you use to establish the early critical aspects are

the key to future development

The conversation that started this mini-series

If you haven’t read the introductory post, click on the image to read more.

It outlines the challenges coaches face and some of the descion they are faced with.

There is also an insight into what happened when I spoke with 2 other coaches about these challenges and how at times, we disagreed!

I’ve outlined some of the thoughts we had during our conversation.

Why it’s important to discuss this challenge

Without a coach providing information, a performer’s learning will be slower, possibly less effective and may be less enjoyable.

How the coach does it, the methods they choose, the way they package the information could be a topic all on its own),

Coach education often provides more information about what to include in your practice rather than how to communicate it.

Have you expereinced that?

The default method for transferring information (Tutor to Coach) in most courses, and subsequently the one used in assessment and then real-life coaching, is to verbally communicate all you want the player to do.

Coaches are encouraged (or only shown) how to transfer information verbally.

How much of the information that you know do you give verbally?

Or, do you intentionally ‘hide’ some information within the tasks and practices you set?

Deciding that the ‘doing’ of the task (the practice) provides the key elements and outcome without the performer initially knowing and being aware.

Does this make sense to you?

Is it possible to establish & develop critical information without ‘telling’ ?

Using mainly verbal instruction

When coaching beginners in any stroke, and especially complex ones like the overhead forehand, coaches are often motivated to give information. The critical (essential) information that they know.

The issue I see is that most often it’s given verbally and, crucially as a one-time list that also includes a similar list of do’s and don’ts.

This verbal ‘information’ dump can feel satisfying to the coach; it’s what they believe that they are there for.

We’ve all stood courtside and heard the coach try to instil knowledge into players (even beginners) by explaining precisely how to move your arm/elbow, how to prepare and exactly where the racket should be pointing, etc, etc. Their demonstration is near perfect; the words match all their actions.

However, even if the players say that they understand they soon either forget or, more likely cannot turn all the words into actions.

It can be especially difficult for beginners to turn the coach’s precise instructions

into movements that are perfectly sequenced and controllable

Coaches often ask a series of questions to determine if the players can repeat back the crucial (often technical) aspect that they have been given.

During the exchange, coaches will often either guide or prompt players to remember the ‘important’ points.

Are they doing this to establish understanding?

There must be a reason. Is this type of recall really the type of understanding that makes a difference on court in a game?

If you like to tell players a list of important factors,

how often are they able to put them into action?

Practice by doing

What would you coaching look like

It may require a shift in emphasis from the methods you have been shown on coach education courses.

The delivery methods vastly reduce the verbal information given by the coach.

Often to the point that other coaches may not hear all the points they expect and emphasise in their own coaching.

I’ve heard it called ‘lazy coaching’ and that it’s so far from the truth.

The fact is, I think it’s harder to coach this way; you have to be mentally agile and be constantly making decisions and choices from the options in your head.

Of course, you will verbally set out the practice, the task, and maybe the challenge. But crucially, the technical ‘list’ will be as short as you can make it.

Plus, the information won’t sound like a manual – well, not the current manuals! 🙂

The challenge of this practice type is to provide the player with a great learning experience through the execution (doing) of the practice/task, but without extensive, complex technical verbal instructions.

Observing from off the court it may look like the players are

performing simple tasks with limited coach instructions

Can you deliver a practice in such a way as to

Ensure that players get into action, (doing) sometimes before you’ve finished talking – that’s ok 🙂
The task/practice is easy to understand : the challenge, how to start, the general intention, what the outcome looks like
How achievable is the practice for your players right now? It needs to be at least 60% achievable – challenging but not impossible.
Often the task is similar to something they have done before, or contains elements that are similar to something they have done previoulsy (build on previous parctice/learning)
Use constraints to provide a ‘funnelled’ learning experience that tries to establish a development
At the end of the practice, it’s clear to the coach and player (maybe) what the next step/development could be

The challenge for coaches is how to design (constrain) each practice with the aim of

developing a skill (or part skill) through a task – not excessive verbal instruction

Practice using ‘cues’ in different ways

What do you understand when someone says "I use coaching cues to help the player"

There will be verbal instructions or guidance; however, the difference is that they will draw attention to various aspects rather than a list of technical requirements.

In addition to the practice/challenge providing a condition/constraint, the player can also be given a cue or observation to follow.

The cues and visual aspects can easily be acquired by the coach (if they collaborate with others), however, the greatest challenge will always be why and when to use them.

Consider the Do’s & Don’ts below : what thoughts and questions do they create?

Do’s when coaching overheads to beginners

Show images of starting and end positions – ask players to replicate them
Ensure that the task/practice is easy to understand : the challenge, how to start, the general intention, what the outcome looks like
Create practice situations that enhance technical elements – but don’t tell the player what you are doing. Let the practice provide the development, or change the practice
Start in the Backhand court (Round-the-head court) – feeding over the non-racket shoulder has many advantages
Use shadow movements with a full powerful throw as part of the warm-up, or just before on-court striking attempts
At the end of the practice, it’s clear to the coach and player (maybe) what the next step/development could be

Don'ts when coaching overheads to beginners

Conversation starters for you and your coaching friends

Why not find a few other coaching friends and start a conversation to explore the questions and statements below.

Hopefully you will find them stimulating and a little bit ‘prickly’, that is my aim!

Coaching the badminton overhead is a fascinating, complex process 🙂

Is telling (verbal information, prompts and questions) a faster way of learning?

(Discuss what learning looks like)

What did you discover from Coach Education about coaching overheads with beginners?

The tips and tricks

Does giving (preloading) information to beginner players help?

Or are previous experiences more valuable?

Telling information produces faster learning with beginners

Surely the best way is to just ‘Tell” players the information they need? Telling them is a faster process so they can then start to practice all that they’ve heard.

If you and your friends are experienced, then you know what’s required, so why not just tell players? Isn’t that what good coaches do, pass on information that works?

The information you know is important; there is no doubt about that, but just telling someone really doesn’t work, or does it?

Well, it may work for a very short while if you are fortunate, but very soon it can seem to disappear. So what do we do next, we repeat and try again.

Do beginner players both remember and are able to do all they are told?

Has Coach Education given you practical advice and alternatives?

Talk with a friend and compare the advice, suggestions and practical ideas you learnt from any Coach Education courses you’ve both completed.

What do you remember from the course? Specifically about introducing the overhead forehand to beginner players. Or, is all you can remember a list of technical ‘must-haves ‘?

From all the information you were given, how much was aimed at working with beginners? Information, yes, but more importantly how its used.

If the early learning ‘problems’ (pan-handle, push not throw, etc.) were discussed, did you also receive advice on how to combat these?

Do you agree that, rarely on Coach Education courses are you given a ‘warning’

to be careful about how you deliver the information you’ve just heard?

Preloading information is more productive than using expereinces

Consider how much the beginner should be told before starting. How many pieces of advice/instructions have you found that really work?

Could you and a friend write a list of the “must-know”, “should-know”, “nice-to-know” when applied to beginner players? How long would your lists be?

This is commonly seen (or heard) when coaches pre-load players with information before they initially attempt something. The reasoning is that with this ‘critical’ information, there is less opportunity for an error or mistake to occur.

However, often the errors still occur during the initial attempts!

Do you believe that imparting critical information (especially technical information) verbally at the start of practice/task will increase the possibility of success, and spcifically longer term success?

What are the ‘must-knows’ for beginner players?

Is it a long or short list?

Challenge No.4

Send me a question

I’m always grateful if you have read this far.

If there is anything that you have read that has helped or that you disagree with, then please send me an email.

I promise to read all your comments

It would be great to hear from you contact@badmintonandy.com

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