The Balance of Coaching

I was discussing one of the downsides of coaching with a colleague on Wednesday night, the one all coaches suffer from on occasion...... continuing to coach when you're competitively fencing. That moment when you forget yourself and marginally open a line for an opponent, they hit you and you find yourself thinking (or sometimes even saying) "good hit, well done!" Not very helpful when you're trying to win a match that's for sure!
It probably happens to all of us who coach and can sometimes be a nuisance. But being a coach has many more advantages than disadvantages. For instance on Saturday I arrived late at the club due to traffic problems and was in a bit of a huff as a result. However as a coach I was in the great position of making a positive choice and raising my mood by spending time with youngsters I don't normally work with. This gave me the challenge of finding something relevant to talk to them about in their technique so I really had to look, think and engage. I don't want to sound arrogant but I try to make all my contributions meaningful for each student; not all of my points register with them I'm sure but I really enjoy trying to deliver some useful information wherever possible. Basically I want to make a difference and a positive one at that. I think I did that on Saturday to some extent and that gives a real sense of satisfaction. I like to think that each of my lessons, one-to-one chats or indeed blog posts are little messages in bottles that ever so occasionally wash up on someone's shore. It's this that makes coaching far more valuable than the odd inconvenience.....