Saturday 1 September 2018

I don't know

With regards to my coaching, one of my biggest learning points over the past year has been linked to admitting I don't know. Over the past year I have been doing a fair bit of coaching for Optimist sailors. The boat isn't a complete mystery to me, but I didn't sail one growing up and alas have now exceeded the age and size limit quite considerably.
I feel there is a pressure on a coach to know everything about the topic they are teaching. Although I expect this pressure is largely self imposed. Recently I have found that sometimes by knowing less and admitting it I have been a better coach, this in turn has continued to shape my coaching and philosophy.
I was asked to help a group of Optimist sailors set up their mast rakes, a google search told me numbers and some how to but I still didn't have first hand experience and a deep understanding of the topic. Instead of turning up with a tape measure and a marker I took to the water and got sailors to change things and experience the results of the change. It was probably my favourite tuning session I have run. The difference was instead of telling sailors what to do I helped them to work out what to do.
Next time I don't know something I will turn to what I do know. I do know how to help you find out.