.... Even then, this sometimes does not go well, as people really do not want to be told the truth, they just want you to tell them what they want to hear.
Successful coaching is the knack to discuss the negatives in the light of the positive.
Bad coach: "Your triangles suck".
Good coach: "Your squares are great. We need to make your triangles as good as your squares".
Some people respond to negative coaching, but I think they are rare.
I don't know about this one. And that is probably because example is so vague. But here goes...
If the triangles in question actually do suck and the coach doesn't say so then he is not doing a crucial part of his job. He needs to tell the pilot that they suck or they were not good or however but the pilot needs to know when he is doing a maneuver poorly. The relationship between the pilot and coach has to be that open.
If someone can fly the pattern then we all know they are a good flier! That is a given. Flying the pattern is very hard to do and to be able to do it means you are a good flier. But when someone is getting coached they should know that they are a good pilot. Simple as that.
Let me be clear here. I am talking about a pilot working with a coach that he normally works with on a session to session basis, not a once in a while bystander at a contest. Then no that person is not really a coach but just a second set of eyes for a flight or two. He probably wouldn't, or at least I wouldn't say things sucked after just a flight or two. I would give a few pointers, only if asked to do so. The relationship with a regular coach should be so that the coach can be honest with the pilot and the pilot knows that if the coach torches him over some things in his pattern it means nothing about him as a person to anything BUT the pattern. If this is the case then pilot and coach will be open to freely converse with one another about what they are seeing.
If the coach uses positive reinforcement where he should be negative it will give the pilot the wrong idea.
Example.
Pilot practices with the coach and he has sucky triangles and the coach says your triangles are great but lets get them more like your squares. Then the pilot goes to the contest and his score sheets show that his triangles were actually very sucky with low end 20s scores. Now the pilot is confused. Coach used the word great and I got low 20s. Who is wrong here? Pilot will go back to coach and say what is this. Then the coach has to figure out a positive way to say your triangles suck.
If the coach can say it as he sees it it is much better for the pilot. He has no preconceived notion that his triangles are anything but sucky. He and the coach know what that have to work on. If the coach says hey your triangles suck. Then the score sheet says the same thing then everyone is on the same page. The pilot should be very confident in his coach at that point. It is up to the pilot and the coach to figure out some way to fix the triangle. That is good coaching. Calling out the sucky ones and getting together with the pilot to figure out some way to correct the problem. Also calling out the goods ones as well. Noting the things that the pilot does well on the good ones and moving it to the bad ones. But the coach has to call it like he sees it that way it is the same as the judges. Just saying your triangles suck and that is all is not good coaching so to speak. There is more to it.
Getting coached is often hearing what you dont want to hear. And not hearing what you want to hear. Coaching is used to improve on things that are wrong. That means you will spend alot of time on what you do wrong, and or sucky, or kind of bad, or so so, or pretty good. But less time will be spent on what is going good. Pretty much keep doing what you are doing there and lets get it over here where you stink up the place.
It is also up to the pilot to tell the coach when and when not to coach. The coach doesnt need to be railing on the pilot over ugly squares when he was really out there trying a new prop or something.
Coaching is tough. We are talking man to man here. There is no position of authority in stunt judging like there is in team sports. The relationship between the two has to be open and honest about the patterns and how they see them and how to correct them. That will mean hearing what you dont want to hear.
What I have found as I go along is that people who are getting coached regularly, myself included, and really begin to understand their skills and level of their skills begin to see the mistakes as they make them and then after the flight the coach doesn't even have to say it sucked because the pilot already knows it and will point it out to the coach. The coach is not going to be blindsiding the pilot. Then the conversations are more about HOW to correct things then they are about what was wrong. Or about tendencies throughout the flights for the day.
Sorry I went so long and I could go on and on about it.
We have all heard the term "coachable". Those who are go very far! I have heard several different times Micheal Jordan was said to be one of the MOST coachable athletes ever.
Topic: Brad's new plane (Read 6843 times)