“Learner-Centered" Coaching
This article first appeared in the ITF publication, Coaches Review, Issue 38, 2006.
"We would like to acknowledge Louis Cayer for providing inspiration and source material
If you would like to ask a question, give feedback, or want more
information, contact us at: www.acecoach.com
Produced by Wayne Elderton, a Tennis Canada National Level 4 Coach, Head of
Tennis Canada Coaching Development and Certification in BC, and Tennis Director of the
Grant Connell Tennis Centre in North Vancouver.© 2006 Wayne Elderton"
To unlock the full potential of a player, a coach should be “learner-centered”. This means the
coach works in partnership with the player to identify and achieve the
player’s goals (not the coach’s goals, or the goals they assume, or think, the player should
have).
Learner-centered doesn’t mean learner-driven since, they don’t have the experience or
expertise of what the process should look like. The process is still driven by the coach, but
focused on the needs of the player. A learner-centered process includes:
• Giving the player a clear picture of where they are at currently (awareness)
• Shaping a strategy for the player to progress towards achieving their goals at an accelerated
rate (goal-setting)
• Determining what the player is willing to do to get to their goals (commitment)
Learner-centered coaching gives players better tools to produce results and a greater
confidence in their ability to do so. Thanks to the expertise of Head coach, Louis
Cayer, the Canadian Certification System ensures learner-centered coaching in all it’s levels.
Learner-centered coaching is not ‘teaching’ (although it may include teaching at some points).
The key is in unlocking a player’s ability to learn. Nobel prize-winning
writer, Patrick White once said, “I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I learned”.
Before asking the question, what should I teach? Coaches must ask the question, how do
people learn? Asking that question leads down a radically different path. It sets the tone for
everything a coach does.
Every individual is unique when it comes to learning. We all take in, order, and remember
information in our own way. There are three ‘Learning Laws’ that every
coach should know:
#1: PLAYERS REQUIRE A DESIRE TO LEARN
#2: PLAYERS LEARN IN DIFFERENT WAYS
#3: PLAYERS LEARN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
To be "Learner Centered" a coach must keep these laws in mind. A, same for everyone, "This
is how I like it" or,
“Do it because I say so and I’m the coach”, approach will not be the best for the player.
Knowing about learning allows a coach to communicate better and speed up improvement.
Most importantly, knowing about learning will allow coaches to coach people (build a
relationship that empowers them to achieve their goals), rather than just teaching skills.
Many coaches would say they do coach in a learner-centered way. If you were asked what the
difference is between teacher-centered or learner-centered lessons, would you know the
answer?
What are the main considerations?
What would change in your coaching process?
How does learner-centered coaching apply to the way you coach now?
To remember all the main factors for learner- centered coaching, we can organize them to form
the acronym, S.E.T.S. SKILLS in LEARNING:
Learning tennis is a more sophisticated process than just having a coach tell how to do certain
movements. There are many skills in tennis, and many ways they can be taught. How a coach
views and handles the skills they teach can either shortcut the learning process or make it
longer and unnatural. When the words “tennis skills” are said to most coaches, they think
‘strokes’. However, tennis skills encompass much more and include three key considerations:
Holistic Skills: Tennis coaches tend to get fixated on technique. However, tennis includes
psychological skills (mental and emotional), physical skills, tactical skills and technical skills. To
develop a complete player, a coach must help learning in all of these areas. Including all
these skill areas is called, “holistic” development.
Tennis is an “Open Skill”: An open skill means the technique must change for the situation.
What is the use of teaching a specific series of movements (Like the traditional forehand stroke
model), when the technique must adapt for where the player is, the type of ball they receive,
and if they are attacking, rallying, etc. Players must learn to read the situation (called
“Perception”), decide the best response (called “decision-making”), execute the appropriate
technique, and then see if it worked or not (called “Feedback”).
Players who learn this way develop faster than with traditional methods. This is radically
different than the traditional view of tennis teaching in which tennis was seen primarily as a
technical sport that used ‘one size fits all’ stroke models (the forehand, the volley, etc.)
Produced by Wayne Elderton, a Tennis Canada National Level 4 Coach, Head of
Tennis Canada Coaching Development and Certification in BC, and Tennis Director of the
Grant
Connell Tennis Centre in North Vancouver.© 2006 Wayne Elderton
Using a Game-based Approach: Tennis is a game thatone must learn to play. For beginners,
the fun of tennis play can be maintained by scaling the game down to a level appropriate for
the player. For all levels, if tennis is taught in realistic situations, the skills learned will transfer
into match play easier. Game-based means the tactics to play the game successfully must drive
the
development of the techniques learned.
ENVIRONMENT for LEARNING:
A coach can help a player pass through the learning process smoothly by creating a fun and
effective learning environment. An environment that motivates players to learn includes the
elements of:
Organized: Learning increases when it is systematic. Well-planned training clearly shows the
path to improvement. Good organization allows for good activity, variety, and a safe
environment. Boring, or unsafe training decreases motivation to learn.
Enthusiastic Coach: A coach’s passion for tennis and learning can be ‘caught’ by students.
They will often respond better to the role modeling a coach does over the words the coach says.
This type of setting will help players enjoy the process (have fun), be stimulated, develop
internal motivation, and ultimately commitment.
TOOLS for LEARNING:
There are some important ‘power tools’ a coach can use to speed up learning.
Cooperative Coaching Style: Players change more readily if the change comes from within them
(rather than imposed from the outside). A coach can use a ‘cooperative’ communication style to
work with the player to affect change. By using questions and encouragements the coach
communicates with the player (rather than at the player). The result is an experience of ‘guided
discovery’. The contrast to a cooperative style is one where the coach is ‘autocratic’
or ‘directive’. In this approach, the coach is the all-knowing dictator and the player is the ‘dumb’
student.
Feedback: This is the most important tool a coach has to affect learning. Feedback is reflecting
a player’s performance back to them. Effective feedback speeds up learning and helps build
skills. If the feedback is positive, that will enhance learning even more. Positive feedback
reinforces good performance and encourages it to be repeated.
Learning Modes: By understanding the three basic ways players take in information, feedback
can be tailored to individual players. The three modes oflearning are:
• Visual: Processing information through the eyes
• Auditory: Processing information through the ears
• Kinesthetic: Processing information through body feelings
Everyone uses all three however, they will prefer one or two and respond best if information is
given in those modes.
Goal Setting: If done correctly, goals propel learning by laying down a systematic process for
development. They give a direction to focus energies and effort. Players respond better when a
specific direction is laid out, the appropriate level of challenge is given, and there are
measurements to gauge progress.
STAGES of LEARNING:
Every player will pass through three stages of learning before they can use new skills in match
play:
• Stage #1: Understanding: Getting an initial intellectual and kinesthetic
comprehension of performance. Moving a player from “Unconscious incompetence” (player is
unaware of what they are performing poorly), to “Conscious incompetence” (player is aware of
how to perform successfully but is unable to do it consistently).
• Stage #2: Repetition: Practicing the skill over and over to ‘groove’ it. Moving a player from
“Conscious incompetence” to “Conscious Competence” (player can only perform successfully if
they focus on the performance).
• Stage #3: Automatic Decision Making: Moving a player from “Conscious competence” to
“unconscious competence” (player selects the correct time to use the skill in competition and
performs successfully automatically).
Each stage has its own unique goals, pitfalls, and procedures. A coach must be able to
recognize which stage a student is in to lead them in the most effective type of training. If a
coach skips, or poorly develops a stage, the result is incomplete skill development.
Being learner-centered dramatically increases a coach’s professionalism and promotes
constantly looking for new and creative ways to help students. Tennis players
deserve nothing less.
copyright Michael Hebron, Learning Golf Inc. 2009, all rights reserved
This article first appeared in the ITF publication, Coaches Review, Issue 38, 2006.
"We would like to acknowledge Louis Cayer for providing inspiration and source material
If you would like to ask a question, give feedback, or want more
information, contact us at: www.acecoach.com
Produced by Wayne Elderton, a Tennis Canada National Level 4 Coach, Head of
Tennis Canada Coaching Development and Certification in BC, and Tennis Director of the
Grant Connell Tennis Centre in North Vancouver.© 2006 Wayne Elderton"
To unlock the full potential of a player, a coach should be “learner-centered”. This means the
coach works in partnership with the player to identify and achieve the
player’s goals (not the coach’s goals, or the goals they assume, or think, the player should
have).
Learner-centered doesn’t mean learner-driven since, they don’t have the experience or
expertise of what the process should look like. The process is still driven by the coach, but
focused on the needs of the player. A learner-centered process includes:
• Giving the player a clear picture of where they are at currently (awareness)
• Shaping a strategy for the player to progress towards achieving their goals at an accelerated
rate (goal-setting)
• Determining what the player is willing to do to get to their goals (commitment)
Learner-centered coaching gives players better tools to produce results and a greater
confidence in their ability to do so. Thanks to the expertise of Head coach, Louis
Cayer, the Canadian Certification System ensures learner-centered coaching in all it’s levels.
Learner-centered coaching is not ‘teaching’ (although it may include teaching at some points).
The key is in unlocking a player’s ability to learn. Nobel prize-winning
writer, Patrick White once said, “I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I learned”.
Before asking the question, what should I teach? Coaches must ask the question, how do
people learn? Asking that question leads down a radically different path. It sets the tone for
everything a coach does.
Every individual is unique when it comes to learning. We all take in, order, and remember
information in our own way. There are three ‘Learning Laws’ that every
coach should know:
#1: PLAYERS REQUIRE A DESIRE TO LEARN
#2: PLAYERS LEARN IN DIFFERENT WAYS
#3: PLAYERS LEARN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
To be "Learner Centered" a coach must keep these laws in mind. A, same for everyone, "This
is how I like it" or,
“Do it because I say so and I’m the coach”, approach will not be the best for the player.
Knowing about learning allows a coach to communicate better and speed up improvement.
Most importantly, knowing about learning will allow coaches to coach people (build a
relationship that empowers them to achieve their goals), rather than just teaching skills.
Many coaches would say they do coach in a learner-centered way. If you were asked what the
difference is between teacher-centered or learner-centered lessons, would you know the
answer?
What are the main considerations?
What would change in your coaching process?
How does learner-centered coaching apply to the way you coach now?
To remember all the main factors for learner- centered coaching, we can organize them to form
the acronym, S.E.T.S. SKILLS in LEARNING:
Learning tennis is a more sophisticated process than just having a coach tell how to do certain
movements. There are many skills in tennis, and many ways they can be taught. How a coach
views and handles the skills they teach can either shortcut the learning process or make it
longer and unnatural. When the words “tennis skills” are said to most coaches, they think
‘strokes’. However, tennis skills encompass much more and include three key considerations:
Holistic Skills: Tennis coaches tend to get fixated on technique. However, tennis includes
psychological skills (mental and emotional), physical skills, tactical skills and technical skills. To
develop a complete player, a coach must help learning in all of these areas. Including all
these skill areas is called, “holistic” development.
Tennis is an “Open Skill”: An open skill means the technique must change for the situation.
What is the use of teaching a specific series of movements (Like the traditional forehand stroke
model), when the technique must adapt for where the player is, the type of ball they receive,
and if they are attacking, rallying, etc. Players must learn to read the situation (called
“Perception”), decide the best response (called “decision-making”), execute the appropriate
technique, and then see if it worked or not (called “Feedback”).
Players who learn this way develop faster than with traditional methods. This is radically
different than the traditional view of tennis teaching in which tennis was seen primarily as a
technical sport that used ‘one size fits all’ stroke models (the forehand, the volley, etc.)
Produced by Wayne Elderton, a Tennis Canada National Level 4 Coach, Head of
Tennis Canada Coaching Development and Certification in BC, and Tennis Director of the
Grant
Connell Tennis Centre in North Vancouver.© 2006 Wayne Elderton
Using a Game-based Approach: Tennis is a game thatone must learn to play. For beginners,
the fun of tennis play can be maintained by scaling the game down to a level appropriate for
the player. For all levels, if tennis is taught in realistic situations, the skills learned will transfer
into match play easier. Game-based means the tactics to play the game successfully must drive
the
development of the techniques learned.
ENVIRONMENT for LEARNING:
A coach can help a player pass through the learning process smoothly by creating a fun and
effective learning environment. An environment that motivates players to learn includes the
elements of:
Organized: Learning increases when it is systematic. Well-planned training clearly shows the
path to improvement. Good organization allows for good activity, variety, and a safe
environment. Boring, or unsafe training decreases motivation to learn.
Enthusiastic Coach: A coach’s passion for tennis and learning can be ‘caught’ by students.
They will often respond better to the role modeling a coach does over the words the coach says.
This type of setting will help players enjoy the process (have fun), be stimulated, develop
internal motivation, and ultimately commitment.
TOOLS for LEARNING:
There are some important ‘power tools’ a coach can use to speed up learning.
Cooperative Coaching Style: Players change more readily if the change comes from within them
(rather than imposed from the outside). A coach can use a ‘cooperative’ communication style to
work with the player to affect change. By using questions and encouragements the coach
communicates with the player (rather than at the player). The result is an experience of ‘guided
discovery’. The contrast to a cooperative style is one where the coach is ‘autocratic’
or ‘directive’. In this approach, the coach is the all-knowing dictator and the player is the ‘dumb’
student.
Feedback: This is the most important tool a coach has to affect learning. Feedback is reflecting
a player’s performance back to them. Effective feedback speeds up learning and helps build
skills. If the feedback is positive, that will enhance learning even more. Positive feedback
reinforces good performance and encourages it to be repeated.
Learning Modes: By understanding the three basic ways players take in information, feedback
can be tailored to individual players. The three modes oflearning are:
• Visual: Processing information through the eyes
• Auditory: Processing information through the ears
• Kinesthetic: Processing information through body feelings
Everyone uses all three however, they will prefer one or two and respond best if information is
given in those modes.
Goal Setting: If done correctly, goals propel learning by laying down a systematic process for
development. They give a direction to focus energies and effort. Players respond better when a
specific direction is laid out, the appropriate level of challenge is given, and there are
measurements to gauge progress.
STAGES of LEARNING:
Every player will pass through three stages of learning before they can use new skills in match
play:
• Stage #1: Understanding: Getting an initial intellectual and kinesthetic
comprehension of performance. Moving a player from “Unconscious incompetence” (player is
unaware of what they are performing poorly), to “Conscious incompetence” (player is aware of
how to perform successfully but is unable to do it consistently).
• Stage #2: Repetition: Practicing the skill over and over to ‘groove’ it. Moving a player from
“Conscious incompetence” to “Conscious Competence” (player can only perform successfully if
they focus on the performance).
• Stage #3: Automatic Decision Making: Moving a player from “Conscious competence” to
“unconscious competence” (player selects the correct time to use the skill in competition and
performs successfully automatically).
Each stage has its own unique goals, pitfalls, and procedures. A coach must be able to
recognize which stage a student is in to lead them in the most effective type of training. If a
coach skips, or poorly develops a stage, the result is incomplete skill development.
Being learner-centered dramatically increases a coach’s professionalism and promotes
constantly looking for new and creative ways to help students. Tennis players
deserve nothing less.
copyright Michael Hebron, Learning Golf Inc. 2009, all rights reserved
