I had some coaching about two years ago which was very good. At the time I was not a very good player but it helped improve my game a lot. I recently decided to have some more coaching to improve my game again. Although, quite confusingly, my new coach is teaching me different grips to the previous coach. Why are their methods so different and has anyone else experienced the same thing?
ur not the only one. my best friend's former coach taught her a grip in which to use the backhand, u needed to change ur grip a bit, and now our coach is trying to change our grips. it depends on who taught ur coach, as well as your coach's playing style.
Agree. I also noticed that some coaches are stronger at certain areas than others. F'instance, footwork may be really good for one coach yet another will be better at teaching racquet skills. Has anybody come across this or am I just imagining things?
it is hard to find a coach who are expert in racket skill, footwork and play tactics all in one package. Furthermore, there are variation of principles and techniques among coaches.
I think it depends on the coach's background: how he learned the skills as a player and a coach. Strokes and footwork may differ from individuals but basics are basics. I learned my footwork and strokes from my coach. On various seminars and clinics conducted by other coaches (all Chinese I must add) the basics were the same. In my opinion the tactical play will be increasingly important as your skills improve. It is not wise to spend a lot of time to explain different tactical plays to a beginner since he is not able to place the shuttle in the key areas. For an intermediary level player tactics will become more important and in high level a priority. However tactical issues are more abstract - it really boils down to your level of understanding of all the components of the game. When I met my coach, after the first training session he said he had to adjust his methods. He had never coached players at our level and methods had to be adjusted according to our level of play. In the beginning a lot of emphasis was put into the footwork and stroked details. There were little talk about tactics. Everything in the training sessions were only skills - how you prepare for a stroke, how to reach the shuttle in a specific area of the court, where you should place your racquet and balance your body when you are moving on court, etc. etc. Later the attention was focused on the combination of strokes: front and back, going left and right and more emphasis in physical capabilities. There were more tactical talk, theories on different points of the court, what types of strokes should be better suited in different situations, positioning on court after a stroke, in summary the hows and the whys we do it. In conclusion for this long post, I believe a coach should be rated according to his knowledge and ability. Not only technical skills but also communication and teaching ability. For beginners the latter are more important and the higher the level we go the more important the former will have. Anyways just my personal opinion.
True, sensing the opponents tactics and the ability to wrongfoot ur opponent will come when all the components of ur game come together.
A week-long badminton camp that I attended a few years ago had five coaches there. The head coach, who also organized the camp, told us that different coaches' methods varied, and suggested that we listen well, try out the coaches' systems, and use what worked best for us. Of course, we didn't have five different ways of doing everything, but the head coach's point was still a good one. I find that friends of mine who are very good players sometimes suggest techniques that are different from the ones I have learned. It's hard to turn down advice from anyone who's trying to help, especially if that person is a good player, but I try to do it politely. I have found a coach now who teaches techniques that help me a lot, and I expect to stick with him.
I haven't really experienced much difference in the smaller parts of coaching like how to grip the racket and stuff. But the training methods can be different. I've had 1 long time coach in Indonesia also called Taufik, but not the 1 your thinking of. And 1 coach here in Singapore. Taufik was my personal coach, whereas my SG coach is a team coach. So i find that the training i got in INA was intensive and serious where the coach takes out a few hundred shuttles in a box and throws them all over the place asking you to retrieve them. Team coaching is crap coz you learn very little. Unfortunately, i feel that that causes my standard to drop.
yes, finding a coach who has the knowledge AND able to communicate clearly is definitely essential. A coach who tells you to do this and that but not able or wish to explain the whys and whats is not my kind of coach. Some coaches hessiate to explain certain things in details afriading that his knowledge get spread around and might devalue his skill.
Agree very much on your opinion on the coaching method. Can learn so much more with the personal type and try to get the correct technique earlier rather than practising the wrong movement. What are the coaching fees in Indonesia? I have met one Indonesian Chinese coach in HK. I tried training with him in a group class. It was quite difficult for me. Perhpas becasue my chinese is not good. But also, when he hit the shuttle to the corner, there was no way I could even reach the shuttle. He didn;t give me a slightly easier shot to try and reach first - just banged it into the corner. Hmm, just thought, maybe he did give the easier shots but my play was just too rubbish to get to it. Unfortunately, he didn't tell me WHY I couldn't reach the shuttle.
hehe. My present coach who's soon going to become my ex-coach cos i'm planning to quit badminton is like that.
The place i went to train was quite cheap in INA because it was a sports club where the membership was already in. So it was actually Rp10000 for 1 hour. Yeah, thats very very cheap.... It was also much more effective as well...
quit badminton? to do what May? I'm shock. I hope no one here influences you to do this. Please reconsider this major path of your life.
can we get a group tour here. I can afford those coaching fee. we should ask for group discount of course
