#neverdivealone

I’ve been teaching for more than half a decade (I know, I’m ancient) but last weekend, it affirmed in me the crucial difference between Teaching and Coaching.

Both teaching and coaching are of course helping someone learn a particular skill or sharing a certain piece of knowledge, and both of them are gifts that are given to a student. Teaching however, seems primarily a one way interaction. A person that knows something shows you how to do something or tells you some piece of information that they know.

Coaching on the other had requires a cyclical, ongoing interaction. In order to coach someone, you need to first “teach” them something, then observe the student, and then provide feedback again. Unless all three of these interactions are taking place, it cannot be considered coaching.

Last Saturday, I taught a small group who are interested in freediving. I discuss the terms, demonstrated to them the proper procedures. Tells appropriate, and sometime inappropriate humour (#verywrong haha). Then we tried to apply that in the open water.

The next day, the Lead Coach reassigned me to one student. And it became quite clear that it is more than teaching that is required of me. We can barely go to neck-deep water before student starts to panic. I came to realise that before we drill on the skills of freediving, i must first address his anxiety.

So we got back to the shore - and like a doctor - diagnose the causes of his fear of deep water. From there, I designed techniques on how to increase his tolerance of seawater entering in his mouth, nose, eyes, etc. Concentrate on skills like blasting, displacing water in the masks, finning short distances, simulating small waves, every thing i can think of.

And small success leads to limited competence, which leads confidence, that will give way to more advance competencies. Before lunch time, my student is threading on 8 meters deep seawater, able to down-the-line underwater, around 2 meters deep breath hold lasting for 30 secs.

It might be simple for others to do. But the student affirmed to me that it was the best learning experience he had for swimming, making all his effort and expenses worth it.

I agree. As a coach, the student’s success is my success. And yes, it is worth it.