The most annoying thing about private lessons

For many years I gave quite a few private lessons to players of all age groups every week.  In fact, I look back on my daily schedule of teaching all day and giving private lessons four weeknights per week, all day Saturday, and most of the day

on Sunday and can’t understand how I did it.  I guess that’s why I don’t give many lessons nowadays.  Just got burned out.

Working that schedule for several years certainly gives you some insight on the good and bad of private instruction.  Today’s tip involves one of those bad ones that drive instructors crazy.  

Here it is …

If you are taking lessons from an instructor then DO NOT try to explain to the coach what your way is and why you think it is better than what the coach is telling you.

Now, I know some of you are thinking something like “do players actually do that?”  Unfortunately, the answer is yes and you’d be surprised how many times it happens.  If it happens once or twice, usually the coach will chalk it up to the player or parent just being inquisitive and wants to learn in a more critical thinking kind of way.  When it continues over and over I have actually said to players and their parents something like “with all do respect, if your way is better then why are you wasting your money coming to me?  Just workout in your basement and stop wasting your time and mine.”  Note: That doesn’t tend to go over too well from a business standpoint but I probably said it at the end of one of those long weeks mentioned above.

It may sound odd to the average person but there are actually people (players and parents) who will pay top dollar with the goal of being told that they or their child is a stud player who really doesn’t need instruction at all.  You can actually see it in their faces when you levy some constructive criticism.  Their face screams “What? I’m (My kid is) doing something wrong?  I (He) just hit .400 on the AAU team!  You must be crazy.”

Folks … it is private lesson season again and will continue to be until spring.  Do yourself a favor and don’t make this fundamental mistake with your time and money.  Listen and give what the instructor is saying a shot.  Some of it might fit and some of it may not but discounting someone because they are not saying what you want to hear about you or your child will not be productive in the end.

Tomorrow’s post:  How important is the right gear?