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Real Life Observations from a Fencing Mom |
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Written by Fencing Parent
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Monday, 05 January 2004 |
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Page 3 of 7 Coaches: Finding the right coach.
Selecting good coaching is the most difficult decision facing the parent of a fencer. There has to be a comfort zone where the student maximizes their potential, but without enduring abuse from the coach. We were amazed at how difficult this is to achieve. Over nine years of competitive coaching, we’ve developed a checklist for evaluating an athletic teacher:
- Do they teach through humiliation or ridicule? If so, run away, don’t walk.
- When things are not going well, does the coach scream, or calmly work with the fencer? Look at the fencer’s body language when they’re getting coached on the strip. If they look like they wish they could crawl into a hole and disappear, look for another coach.
- Is the coach also the club owner, or totally dependant on the club owner? If they’re not fully autonomous, check their relationship carefully. Some owners run the club like their private fiefdom… for the benefit of their own kids, or a select few members. Understanding the politics of a club becomes very important.
- How are practices held? Do the coaches work well with both advanced and beginning students? Do they play favorites? Can you sit down with them and freely discuss your fencer’s progress?
Go by what your parent vibes tell you. If you think your coach is a little creepy or your kids don’t trust them, don’t trust them either. One very telling way to test a coach is to look at pictures that are taken with kids and coaches. What is their body English saying? How comfy do they look together? Are their smiles genuine or forced? Have a third party take a bunch of pictures at the next competition if there is any doubt in your mind or because you want the memories. We have some of the best pictures of our kids interacting with their current coaches at competitions, much different than the other pictures with earlier coaches.
My kids now have two excellent coaches. My daughter's coach is as much a partner to her as a coach. He doesn’t try to control her and act like she is his puppet. He teaches her at her pace and in the way she learns best. At competitions, he knows how to support her when she loses and tells her what to try to look for next time. He uses video to help find the things she does well, as well as the things that need work. My son's coach has taken a kid who never thought of himself as an athlete and made him into one.
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