Great Coaching: Part 1

| May 15, 2016 |

Jasna Rather is perhaps the most successful, least known sports coach in U.S. collegiate history. Since assuming the role of head coach of the Texas Wesleyan University table tennis team, she has won ten national championships in eleven years. Born in Yugoslavia, she appeared in four Olympic Games before becoming a coach,  and she is married, with an adorable daughter. How do I know all this? Because my  son Jason is a student at Texas Wesleyan University and has a scholarship to play on  the team. Since I am intrigued by what makes a champion player or coach, in sports or  in music, I asked Jasna if I could pose some questions by email. She was kind enough  to agree, and I think several of her answers relate directly to excellence in music  performance and teaching. 

What do you see as some of the most important aspects of coaching? Why do some coaches succeed and others fail?  

Having been taught by some of the best coaches one could wish for, I can say there are a number of details to consider. First of all, training must be individually planned, because each player has different needs, styles, approaches, and mentality. Having a one-size-fits- all philosophy is a huge mistake.

Second, fundamentals are crucial. If technique, movement, and so on develop in a way that will eventually need to be corrected, these will not be easy to fix. The older the player is, the more difficult it is to make changes. It’s similar to language, in which the older we are, the more difficult it is to hide an accent. In Yugoslavia, coaches would focus on one stroke or element of the game to develop. That way, the player would really learn to master shots, which is in contrast to the “Table Tennis Express” style that is so prevalent in the U.S.

Beyond technique, how important is the personal side of coaching?  

Caring about players, almost like a parent—showing interest and knowing what’s going on in their lives—will enable a coach to understand things that might help or hurt table tennis progress. But a coach also has to show the other side of parenting: being firm. There should be rules and reasonable punishment for not following those rules. Of course, the rules and approach will vary depending on the age of the players.

Great coaches are great motivators, which means being creative. For example, it’s not always fun to practice, and a creative coach can make the practices interesting. Also, it can be hard for players to recover after a big loss, and a coach’s approach to this situation can either help or make things worse.

How do you go about balancing the physical and psychological sides of coaching? 

A good coach knows how to physically prepare players according to their needs and potential. Not everybody has the same physical ability for training, so getting the maximum from players could mean having one player run a half-mile and another player run five miles.

The psychological side of coaching is critical. The coach must understand what to say to players and when, so they will be prepared for difficult situations in important matches. One good way to do this is to create training conditions that simulate competition, setting up sparring partners, mini-tournaments, and so on.

These are a just a few things that can make a great coach.