Coaching Style

[rvergara]

Which coaching style do you prefer?
I only know 2 coaches, the one from my club and the one from the other club in town.

My coach is more strict, making us drill regularly, every training session consists of footwork, bladework, distance and bouting.


On the other club, the coach is more layback, the guys over there almost only bout, and the coach gives them pointers on what they are doing.

Personally, I prefer my coach because of the results I have seen from the guys on the team. I bring this up because this week on a competition I met an epeeist who trained with my coach on the national team and hates his guts. The strange thing is that this epeeist is in the military, so one would think he is used to strict authorities.

[leia]

I started fencing with a coach that was mainly "the guys over there almost only bout, and the coach gives them pointers on what they are doing" type. But latter when the coaches changed to "strict, making us drill regularly, every training session consists of footwork, bladework, distance and bouting"
I actully started to learn how to fence.

Leia

[wflaschka]

While I understand the "strict" coach's approach, I prefer the "lax" coach for intermediate and advanced fencers. Fencing can be very regime-oriented, but after the fencers get to a certain level, they know what they need to accomplish and they'll benefit if they're able to focus on it. It's also good for the fencer -- they learn to rely on themselves, it has to start at some point.

Unless the advanced fencers are in a team-training or camp situation, the cooperative stuff usually begins and ends with with distance-keeping warm-up. There are so many different goals and tasks among the fencers that uniform drills soon stop being useful. Lessons are enough for technique, bouts are enough for chaos; structured bouting is a good medium. And the coach should maintain a list of monthly micro-goals for each fencer, and keep on them about it.

Different story for beginners, though. I've been noticing how group drills and conformity are incredibly valuable, early on.

[scarlet_woman156k]

Originally Posted by wflaschka

While I understand the "strict" coach's approach, I prefer the "lax" coach for intermediate and advanced fencers.

Would it be safe to say that "strict coaching" is basically like micro managing?

[wflaschka]

Originally Posted by scarlet_woman156k

Would it be safe to say that "strict coaching" is basically like micro managing?

I guess it could be... and if a fencer is used to solo training then it could get irksome.

The best "strict" coaching I've seen is where there's an established regimen, a list of tasks, and everybody in the group knows what they have to do. With little prompting, the group moves from thing to thing, or drill to drill. In these situations, the coach is left mostly free, with very little managing to do at all. Fencers do achieve a lot.

But this idealized "strict" situation is hard to sustain. It's sort of like the last 2 days at a fencing camp, when everybody knows what to do. I saw it mostly at the beginning of the year on varsity university teams -- mostly my own college team, though I know other teams have their own processes and traditions. The warm-up, distance and squad-level routines we did were passed down from captain to captain, some of them probably as old as sin. But after everybody was suitably broken in, about 3-4 weeks, the regimen became more flexible.

[dreadfoily]

I like a coach who really knows his or her {where are the female coaches?] stuff, trains individual lessons really well, with a firm grasp of where the student is and where he or she should be going.

Working on a game plan together. Then goes on to the next student without too much attachment.

Watching now and then for basic corrective action.

I like a salle with 3-4 coaches who bring many ideas into a salle, and have seasonal plans for the group, working on an on-going calendar.

[mlr2fence]

I would think that the coaching style depends on the fencer's goals and reasons for fencing. If the fencer has serious competitive goals then I think a 'stricter' style would be more beneficial but a recreational fencer who is also looking for a social time would gravitate to the more laid back style. Too many bad habits can creep in without some consistant coaching.

[westcoastsabre]

Well I too started out with a very laid-back coach, and I think it really stunted my development alot. I didn't really start to go anywhere competitively until I spent serious time with more rigorous coaches. I've found that on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis the laid-back coach experience is more fun. In the long run it is much less rewarding; both in competitive satisfaction, and being able to look back and see how much you have changed.

[Saber-Psycho]

I don't think it is as much an issue of coaching style as much as the pure quality of the coach.
You don't need to feel pushed and unhappy to learn. For that matter you don't even need to feel uncomfortable.
All you need is a highly competent coach who is compatible with your personality and learning style.
Finding the right coach is the difficult part. I did though.

[telkanuru]

I've had a laid back coach for the past 3 years (I only fence at school, no club, but do tourneys) due to lack of funds to join a club and I know it's half the reason why my fencing isn't what it should be. Oh, well. Next year, to college! And actual individual lessons, perhaps? What a novelty!

[dreadfoily]

The word "Strict" is something that we could look at. What does strict mean to you?

Strict in fencing: meaning, someone who knows the rules and teaches them, doesn't break them, doesn't cheat, teaches good fencing and is fair-minded. It shouldn't imply, though it does to some people, mean the development of some uncontrollable behaviors associated with the inability to coach 'strictly'.

In other words, unability to lead a group without losing control of their mind....by using the following methods of control:

Don'ts
1. humiliation
2. yelling
3. name calling - calling your males "females" for not fencing 'strongly', or vice-versa.
4. tampering with equipment of others
5. tampering with score sheets
6. using their students' names in press releases without permission or using their names in public forums in a negative manner
7. berating other coaches in public

Do's
1. is able to stay out of their students private lives, their choices of boyfriends, girlfriends, whether or not their young student is interested in either gender and so forth.
2. Keeping to the sport, and providing good leadership and rolemodeling through their own, high level, high performance, and successful lifestyles.

I believe everyone is able to go forward and make a good fresh start. In spite of the difficult times and behaviors we may see in the press. We should endeavor to strive for higher behaviors at home, in the salle and at work.

[gojujay]

I think a coach should be able to tailor his style to the individual. If one is serious, then a more regimented system/style. If a rec fencer, then somewhat more laid back. Basics should always be somewhat regimented. What good is it to bout someone who doesn't know how to properly riposte