How to Evaluate a Coach

[jBirch]

You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Allen Evans again

'Nuff said.

As a coach, I've had all kinds of parents, from crazy to doting to just plain awesome. And like all tripartite interpersonal relations, it can be tricky to balance all the variables that go into making a highly successful fencer.

Coaches are human too. Find one that works and maintain the relationship. If it goes sour, break up and go your seperate ways. There are other fish in the sea.

James.

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!

Aw Rocky you are so sweet...

Most people seem to be really sick of me so I have been laying really low.
But, making it to the Os is basically a big ole crap shoot.

The Momster

1. I have no idea of who Rock is IRL.
2. Mo, your postings started to get different in tone some months before the OG, compared to what I have been used to see from you. You have always portrayed a very protective persona online, someone who has the interests of her special fencer at heart, to the exclusion of everything else. In addition to that, you started to post as if you were having a huge case of nervous jitters before the OG. That is nothing surprising, considering that the OG is the greated thing on earth for fencing, and that you have stated that it would be the first, last, and only time around for your special fencer.

I can not speak for anyone else, but I have not felt "sick of you". Rather, I have assumed that you have been so stressed-up by the whole OG experience so that one should not post anything even remotely exciting directed your way. What really opened my eyes was your response to one of my OG prediction threads - I had not expected that anyone would express such a negative opinion to a prediction poll! (Posted by a club-level epeeist from another continent, nonetheless.)

I hope that the transition to a better coach will make you feel better.


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

[Inquartata]

Asking hard questions is a good thing. If I were a coach I would first find out who the student was and would use that as an indicator.

Yes, indeed. And I am aware that you were not actually advocating asking questions phrased the way you phrased them---that's a relic of your existing experiences, and I do not think that you would go to a new coach and sound as confrontational and pugnacious as that phrasing made the questions sound. I was only commenting on the fact that as written they DO sound that way, and a new coach with no knowledge of your previous experiences would probably not take well to them. And he'd be justified in having his shields go up...

Having a coach who will answer your questions in an amazing way is such a good method to find a coach. If they are turned off because of wanting to know what they plan to do, screw them and find someone else.
If you have nothing to hide you won't get worried.

Yes. But there are many ways to ask questions. So long as you are not actually advocating getting in a prospective coach's face with an "attitude", I have no problems with your basic premise. All I am saying is that you will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. ( Although why one should want to catch flies---well, I digress. )

That is why my kid goes to Duke. He answered anything our family asked him. He was completely up front with all the details and wanted to know what we thought. He went through our questions unruffled and smiling.

And did you ask exactly those questions, exactly that way?

And was he aware of your situation before that?

And...what Epeelion said about the known high value of what he was getting. But with a brand new student, an unknown quantity?

Again, I agree that clients have the right to learn what they are getting. I agree that coaches should disclose and explain. But deliberately getting their backs up in so doing is probably going to be counterproductive...

[catwood1]

I think Inq makes a very good point.*

EpeeLion also is right that while Alex is, from all reports, an awesome guy, it is worthwhile to note that the experience an Olympic medalist has when talking to a recruiter might be different than what less accomplished fencers experiences.



* Must now go and jump off of a bridge.

[Inquartata]

Well, don't expect me to emerge from beneath it to catch you, I am busy.

[epeelion]

Aww, now credit for one of my points has been stolen and given to Inq! A DU-EL is the only resolution!

:-p

[catwood1]

Aww, now credit for one of my points has been stolen and given to Inq! A DU-EL is the only resolution!

:-p

Ah, sorry bout that. I meant my post as two seperate points, but that didn't come across at all. I suck at this language...

Goes off to edit...

[bigdawg2121]

EpeeLion also is right that while Alex is, from all reports, an awesome guy, it is worthwhile to note that the experience an Olympic medalist has when talking to a recruiter might be different than what less accomplished fencers experiences.

I am to this day awaiting an reply to any of the numerous email inquiries that I sent junior and senior years of HS*.

*this should not be taken as an indicator of a desire to go to Dook but rather as an indication that I wanted to keep all options open just in case.

[catwood1]

What if you TRIED to talk to your coach? What if all he did was yell at you and tell you how awful of a human being you are? What if you never got to say what you wanted and needed to say? What if he stormed out and ended the "conversation" that way? What if he makes nasty references to you in your absence, even though you never said anything bad about him when you left to anyone,even to your best friend? What if you considered him more than a coach, but someone you could always "TALK" to? What if he is someone who has always been there for you in the past and now he actually hates you? How do you deal with that?

New Coach.

[erooMynohtnA]

What if you TRIED to talk to your coach? ... What if he is someone who has always been there for you in the past and now he actually hates you? How do you deal with that?

New Coach.

Yeah, seriously, how about a hard one.

[Inquartata]

Yeah, seriously, how about a hard one.

Must...restrain...urge...to...make...juvenile...jo ke...

[telkanuru]

Must...restrain...urge...to...make...juvenile...jo ke...

It's a good thing you didn't; people get pretty stiff if you do that.

[Mo]

Last night Darius set up a fencing session for my kiddo at NWFC.
She went there and fenced for well over two hours. He imported some saber fencers for her. She fenced three of the coaches from NW too. Darius can MOVE!!
NWFC had a locker at the club for her with her name on it. Darius and the staff at North West will make sure she can get some fencing in while she is home.
I feel so much better about fencing now. There are some really good people involved in it.
Just keep your eyes open!

((((((((((((The People at North West Fencing)))))))))))))))))

The Momster

[whiteandbluefencer]

It's nice to hear that Becca has a place to fence at when she's home, and that the fencing community hasn't let you down. I would suppose, like anything else in life, there comes a point when it's just time to move on. It's good to hear that when that time comes, there are new opportunities.