Increasing the effectiveness of training is a really important topic to talk about because with any athlete, we need to make sure that we are focusing on our goals and our long-term plan. So with anything that I do in terms of effectiveness, I look at the end goal of where we're trying to get to and then have some small steps to be able to get to that spot.
In my time coaching multiple sports, a big thing that I look at is drawing back from the outcome that we want to achieve. So if you want to achieve something to do with your crosscourt forehand for example, it's important to have everything revolve around getting the outcome that you're looking for, from the situation that you that you want. So take into account what you're trying to achieve and I think that needs to be set by the coach and the athlete together.
It's a collaborative approach as to "where am I trying to go, and then how am I trying to get there".
So it's about looking at the large goal and then also reducing that into smaller base goals as well. That's the first thing, the other thing is ensuring that when you're on the court that you utilize the time wisely. Allocate certain amounts of time to certain aspects, but if things are going well, then progress a lot quicker. If they're they're not doing so well you can always hold back and and continue to do one activity for a little bit longer.
This is where planning is important, but as a coach it's important to feel the situation and that's what the best coaches in the world do, they feel it really well. You may be on the court and have allocated times for progressions of where you're trying to get to, but as that coach you can drive at how you want. So if you feel you've found successes with one activity that you're doing and you want the athletes to maintain some positivity in their training, keep doing it. There's nothing stopping you from going away from that that plan. The plan is there to help you and keep you on track when you lose track, it's not there to dictate every minute of what you do .
I know some coaches are extremely structured, but I feel like the best way of coaching is to allow for the situation to unfold and allow for things to come into play, including that athlete's mindset, their feelings, their emotions and what they're going through is all really important. One of my sayings is "the coach can see what's happening, but the player feels it", so it's important to keep communicating with the athlete and asking them open-ended questions. Ensure that they are feeling well about what they're doing and not necessarily in the execution, because the execution will be up and down in what they do, but it's more important that they feel like they're achieving what they're trying to achieve.
"This is this is one of the most important points, because it's the athlete that is going out there to to the heat of battle."
The coach is only there guiding and being that track for the player to stay on. If you want to increase the effectiveness of what you're trying to, do make sure you are communicating with your athlete, make sure you have a really clear vision of where you're trying to end up, the outcome itself. And then achieving little milestones along the way.
Now in sport we understand that perfection is not going to occur very often. In fact it probably won't occur at any time because you're always going to make mistakes on the practice court. So effective practice or efficient practice doesn't relate to perfection, but what it relates to is more the flow of things. It relates to "how am I going to get to my outcome". The outcome won't be clear and clean and perfect, but the outcome of that cross court forehand that you started with, might be comfortable enough for the player to execute under pressure nine times out of ten and that's important.
So get that real clear clarity and vision of what you're trying to achieve, ensure the player has the buy-in and they they understand the process behind what you're trying to achieve. Work together collaboratively to be able to do that. So hopefully that helps you to answer the question about how to how to improve your effectiveness of training and good luck with it all and ensure that you go out there and have a real clear vision.