Is private training even effective?

[kwun]

it is both.

even the top players don't have all the skills, and even when they have the skills, they can achieve a higher level of proficiency on it.

eg. i am sure WSX can smash and attack, but her attacking ability is far inferior to some of her peers. she can use some coaching and practice in that regard. a good example is Gong Zhichao, she used to be a purely defensive rally player, at one point in her career, she started focusing more on offensive and in the end when she won the Olympics, she is much more rounded player with excellent attacking as well as rally abilities. those can only be attained from a technique coach.

teams have both technique and strategy coaches to focus on different aspects of the game.

[pcll99]

Why does Lin Dan need a coach? Because no human being is perfect. There is always something you can do better. Even for Lin Dan. And only a private one-to-one coach will focus specifically on your imperfection.

[MSeeley]

it is both.

even the top players don't have all the skills, and even when they have the skills, they can achieve a higher level of proficiency on it.

eg. i am sure WSX can smash and attack, but her attacking ability is far inferior to some of her peers. she can use some coaching and practice in that regard. a good example is Gong Zhichao, she used to be a purely defensive rally player, at one point in her career, she started focusing more on offensive and in the end when she won the Olympics, she is much more rounded player with excellent attacking as well as rally abilities. those can only be attained from a technique coach.

teams have both technique and strategy coaches to focus on different aspects of the game.

You are of course correct.

As you said WSX can probably smash and attack as well as anybody, but in actual match play, her decision making and general "go to" tactics probably don't lend itself as naturally to an offensive style of play as some other players on the tour. Thus, when the coach reflects with the player that she needs to start playing a more attacking game, the coaches job is now to help that player work those skills into their game, as well as refining them where possible. However, I believe the psychological challenges and changes would be more difficult than the technical ones.

I am sure there are exceptions, where a player has to be taught a completely new shot, but I still feel the mental aspect is the more important for a top level coach.

I guess in my mind, when I think about a coach coming to a player they are working with and lining up the style changes that they feel are necessary, I would expect the player to be able to do everything they are saying already, but they will now teach that player some new/better/different ways to apply these tactics. As the player keeps practising, they will get better at their new drills and skills, but I do not think there will be much of a technical input from the coach. I guess I think the coach is there for determining the "where and why" of the skills, rather than the "how" (at the top level).

Anyhoo. These are just my musings and you have already given an excellent counterexample above regarding Gong Zhichao I don't know of that player by the way...

[chris-ccc]

.
When players have already decided/determined to carry out their own plans (of actions), they don't really need a coach.

As for me, as a coach, I have found some trainees like that - and I keep telling them;

"Why come to me for coaching when you don't want to learn from me?".
.

[Cheung]

.
When players have already decided/determined to carry out their own plans (of actions), they don't really need a coach.

As for me, as a coach, I have found some trainees like that - and I keep telling them;

"Why come to me for coaching when you don't want to learn from me?".
.

That depends. Different students, different objectives, different learning styles, different coaches.

I have mentioned about the student needing to be open minded. But it also comes from trust in the coach. I suspect the harder ones to coach are those who already have experienced the game and play in leagues/competitions.

For this group, although they have the insight into their own performance, changing a style of play (e.g. footwork, technique), may require big changes in their fundamental way of standing, body positioning, preparation. Simply speaking, it becomes very difficult to change and of course, their game will suffer temporarily.

Whether they want to go that far is another matter. They may just say "It's just too hard". I know of one such person - very fast, generates good power, has some unorthodox techniques which work. However, the racquet preparation at mid court and net play is weak. Against regular good league players he can get away with it. Once the gameplay goes up to very good level, it limits his ability to cope. Does he change (and accept short term detriment), can he accept change or does the coach just do feeding to help him practice his poor technique with better consistency?

[pcll99]

sometimes i think of badminton players as artists, like divers and gymnasts. Their moves look beautiful.

Do the best artists/musicians have coaches?

[bakulaw]

sometimes i think of badminton players as artists, like divers and gymnasts. Their moves look beautiful.

Do the best artists/musicians have coaches?

There are directors/vocal coaches.

[pcll99]

That depends. Different students, different objectives, different learning styles, different coaches.

I have mentioned about the student needing to be open minded. But it also comes from trust in the coach. I suspect the harder ones to coach are those who already have experienced the game and play in leagues/competitions.

For this group, although they have the insight into their own performance, changing a style of play (e.g. footwork, technique), may require big changes in their fundamental way of standing, body positioning, preparation. Simply speaking, it becomes very difficult to change and of course, their game will suffer temporarily.

Whether they want to go that far is another matter. They may just say "It's just too hard". I know of one such person - very fast, generates good power, has some unorthodox techniques which work. However, the racquet preparation at mid court and net play is weak. Against regular good league players he can get away with it. Once the gameplay goes up to very good level, it limits his ability to cope. Does he change (and accept short term detriment), can he accept change or does the coach just do feeding to help him practice his poor technique with better consistency?

The more ingrained a bad habit is, the tougher it is to change it. That's why it is best to have a coach from the get go.