When I started out as a Tennis Coach I was so busy proving my big knowledge as a Tennis Coach. I pointed out all the flaws & short comings of a player immediately after spotting them. Oftentimes leaving the players that I worked with absolutely devastated with no confidence at all. Only for me to blame them for their lack of motivation & eager to work on their game.

I now see that their reaction was a totally natural response to the environment that I created around them. That I did not understand the importance of the internal state & readiness to learn & develop.

I now try to check my ego before going on court. No matter what kind of flaws that I might see I will start out by simply observing the players. Getting to know what the players are especially good at & then praise the players for those abilities. I will even setup basket or live ball drills to make it even better.

Until I sense that the players starts feeling good about their game & their abilities I will keep practicing their strengths, as I believe that it will built a much bigger capacity to THEN work on their short comings.