It’s hard to imagine the use of the masculine and feminine verbs in French if you’ve never met anyone from France. And algebra? It won’t really click if you’re still counting on your fingers.
Getting to know the person you’re teaching or coaching helps. It helps because you can apply what you’re teaching to their world. It still amazes me to see Strength and Conditioning coaches ignore the person in front of them and begin a crash course in pseudo-elite training.
Here’s a starting point to help you connect with your players or clients. Feel free to insert your sport or activity in the gaps:
What is [Your Sport/Domain] to you?
What do you do for fun?
Write a story about your life that includes answers to the following questions:
- As a [Your Sport/Domain] player, how do you learn best?
- Tell me a significant story about [Your Sport/Domain] from your life
- Tell me about someone who supported you and helped you to learn about [Your Sport/Domain].
Showing an interest in the person you are teaching or coaching is good practice, saying “I’ll never use that!”, not so much.