1. Coaching goal:
We all want to get better, we all want to win, but more important we all want to have a great time! You as a coach need to help your skier enjoy as much as possible his skiing. That will be your goal as a coach.
2. Always positive:
No one wants to hear what they did wrong. We always want to hear something positive about our skiing!
3. Give Solutions:
You can explain what they did wrong but you need to be able to give a solution or at least work out a solution with the skier.
4. Why and How:
One of the most common mistakes is to think that coaching is letting the skier know that they fell forward, that the fin went out of the water in the middle of the turn, that the tip of the ski did a willy on the off side, etc. This is not coaching this is just explaining the skier how they fell or how they missed a buoy.
What you need to let the skier know is WHY they are having problems and HOW to FIX them.
5. Spotting the problem:
90% of the times the error is not where the skier falls or misses a buoy. The mistake comes from 1 or 2 buoys before and most of the times it all start on the pull out for the gates.
6. Watch before you start coaching:
If it is the first time watching a skier let him run a couple of passes before you start coaching him. You never know in the first 2 or 3 passes if that is the way he skies, or if he is nervous, getting used to the boat, set up, etc.
7. Interact with the skier:
Stand up (with the boat in neutral) and explain to the skier what they did wrong and how to do it right.
Try to find examples to express your self.
I like to compare slalom skiing to other things like car racing (the way they need to accelerate an control their speed) to talk about balance I use the example of a circus person walking on a cable, to describe a progressive wake crossing I talk about a golf swing, etc.
8. The coaching sequence should be:
I. Let them know what they did right. (Even if they fell at #1, they are trying so let them know.)
II. Show them what went wrong and explain mistakes in a proper way (never exaggerate on this).
III.VERY IMPORTANT give them a solution. If you don’t have one, talk to the skier and try to find one.
IV.Summarize by telling the skier 1 or 2 things (max) he needs to focus on the next pass.
V.Give the skier something that will motivate them!!! Example: Ok lets DO IT! Here we go!
Slalom skiing is so hard because a pass lasts 16 to 17 seconds and you can do at most 20 passes per day. In those 16 seconds you have to remember so many things that it takes years to progress, and usually without the right coaching you can get stuck or desperate.
