The following post is an excerpt from Frank’s newest book, The Soft Science of Tennis. Click Here to Order through Amazon
Is Your Athlete Un-Coachable?
A gifted but un-coachable athlete is every coach’s nightmare. The un-coachable athlete displays the following symptoms: showing up late for practice and lacking personal commitment, passion, and real effort. These athletes routinely play the blame game, roll their eyes at constructive feedback, and are close-minded to improvement. Un-coachable athletes spend the majority of their training sessions defending their poor choices and creating drama.
“Some athletes cling desperately to bad form because they have spent years developing it.”
Being committed to one’s emotional development isn’t a genetic predisposition, it is a learned behavior nurtured by intelligent parents and coaches. Changing a talented yet un-coachable athlete into a coachable athlete takes great emotional aptitude from both the parents and coach.
Improving an athlete’s software (coach-ability) is often a prerequisite for real learning, quicker growth, and maximizing potential. I believe great coaches and parents have to facilitate coach-ability. They have to convince the athlete that change is good, which is key because learning begins with change and change begins with learning.
Emotional modification begins with the athlete being open and honest enough to develop a humble and respectful attitude, competitive drive, and willingness to learn. It includes gratefulness that a coach cares enough and is willing to tackle the un-pleasantries of the task. Teaching discipline, accountability, and responsibility is a very different job description than teaching a topspin backhand.
Let’s Look at the Characteristics of the Coachable Athlete:
- Willingness to Accept the Coach’s Philosophy
- Acceptance of the Necessity for Improvement
- Desire to be Accountable
- Optimism and Growth Minded
- Respectfulness
- Acceptance of Responsibility
- Letting Go of Excuses
- Non-Combative Attitude
- Open-Minded too Constructive Criticism
- Eager to Receive Feedback
- Respectful of the Coach’s Knowledge
- Selflessness
- Integrity
- Courageous
It’s astounding how many young athletes self-sabotage their potential by choosing to ignore the above positive characteristics. Coachable athletes are taught life skills development and religiously held accountable for their morals and ethical conduct by their parents and coaches. Parents and athletes, please look for the above positive characteristics of the coachable athlete in your entourage of coaches as well. You can be sure that quality coaches will be looking for the same positive characteristics in their students and their parents.
In the 1st Edition of The Tennis Parents Bible (published in 2010), I wrote about the importance of positive coaching and parenting. A vital take away was the use of the 5-1 compliment to critique rule (verbal and non-verbal). If athletes are to fire their optimistic responses we have to provide the ammunition. I recommend exposing these qualities in timely condensed sessions. Coaches, the above 14 coachable software skills should be discussed in a creative, interactive information exchange that feels like a chat versus a moral lesson.
