Monday 18 March 2013

Dedicated Pupil, or Good Coaching?

Well, firstly, hello! Don't you just hate it when real life gets in the way of skating, and therefore blogging? I know I do.

I finally got back on the ice on Saturday, after 5 weeks away due to various reasons, and was welcomed back by my coach with open arms and stories about how all my skating friends were missing me and wondering where I was. I have to admit, it was nice to be missed, that's never happened to me before. 

So, I had a half hour lesson because I can't skate next week due to a wedding I'm attending. We did a recap of everything I've already had signed off, then worked on some stuff from my current level and the one above.

Including forward outside 3 turns. They are evil, I do not like them at the moment haha! I'm sure I'll get there with them, I have with everything else, even when I was filled with self doubt about that fact. 

Now, the title of this post relates to a little debate my coach and I were having. She told me that I've done really well building up my basic skills, because normally when she teaches someone for the first time after a break, she spends a lot of time almost re-teaching them things they've already covered. She didn't have to do that with me, and says it shows I've taken her teaching, practiced, and now have a very solid set of basic skating skills.

I maintain it's her excellent teaching, that's made skating fun, and something I want to practice and do well at, and that's how my skills have become so solid.

In reality, I think it's both of these things. You can't teach someone who isn't willing to learn, and you can't improve your skills unless you're willing to take on board what your coach is saying or suggesting. 

So, I wonder what the readership of this blog thinks? Even if you're not a skater, your experiences could relate to anything, or even to the experiences of a child in school. Is a "team ethos" important to good, solid progress and enjoyment of something, or is it simply one party or the other that makes it happen, in your view? 

Would love to hear from you in the comments section, so please get in touch! 

1 comment:

  1. I totally agree with you, that it takes both a good teach and a dedicated pupil to make it work. My coach and I have the same type of thing...I admire her teaching skills, and she admires my attention to detail and dedication to practice. My coach told me at one point, she won't keep a student who just wants to play around and not practice. You have to take the sport seriously, but at the same time have fun with it. Congratulations on making it back to the ice and doing so well after time off! :)

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