Introduction

The purpose of the “Value of Quality Instruction” experiment is to test the thought that athletic performance can be improved by coaching.  The test will include 4 female athletes Kaisa, Rachael, April and Savana.  2 of the girls will be coached and instructed by myself, second year coach Brock Payne, and the Female Sports Athletic Director at Childress High School, Billy Perkins.  Kaisa and Rachael will go through 3 different drills training 3 separate skills.  At the same time, Savana and April will be given the proper equipment but will receive no instruction.  At the end of the test there will be a short match.  The trained athletes will face the untrained athletes and the data will be recorded for comparison.

Hypothesis

  My hypothesis is that the 2 subjects that receive no instruction will lose to the 2 subjects that received the instruction.  I predict that the 2 instructed girls will outperform the other 2 and they will also have more confidence during play due to having received quality instruction.

Coach Perkins

Coach Perkins is the Female Sports Athletic Director and Head Basketball, Tennis, and Softball coach. With his experience he has had the opportunity to instruct many young boys and girls. He understands well the value of quality instruction on the field.

Teaching the Forehand

The forehand is the most basic and commonly used hitting skill in tennis. Coach Perkins taught this drill and I assisted during off camera time. The girls understood this concept well and tried hard to get it right in the time allotted however, they seemed to keep their rackets open (facing slightly up), making the ball shoot up in the air. This may prove to be a difficult weakness to overcome in the upcoming competition.

The Backhand

I taught the girls the backhand, a tricky technique and skill to master. They seemed to struggle with it but hopefully they will learn it well enough to defend their off-hand sides against the un-coached girls.



The athletes practiced the backhand for their competition. Hopefully it will prove most effective in the upcoming competition.

Instructing the Serve

Coach Perkins instructs the girls on the proper and basic form/technique of the overhand serve.

Service Drill

Rachael and Kasia practiced the service drill after Coach Perkins' instruction. They seemed to revert to other skills learned from other sports. They seemed to pick this skill up quickly.

Before the Competition

The Game

The girls were set up into doubles teams and played 3 games. Trained vs Self-Taught.

Observations

I observed that the trained girls were very intimidated during regular play. The girls had a hard time after a few tings went wrong. I do believe that if they had more time to practice and perfect their game then the self taught girls would lose. The skills taught to the girls take time to perfect, like most skills do, and we, unfairly, did not allow enough time for them to develop them.

Closing Observations

Conclusion

In order to allow for a better and more accurate study the athletes should be allowed more time. The self-discovery girls were a little more athletic however through their “just have fun” attitude were able to keep a level head and not suffer from the same amount of anxiety as the other girls. Their experience was much more fun however, the experience of the coached girls could allow them to grow and surpass the un-coached girls, in time, in skill and technique.

What I Learned:

From this experiment I was able to learn a few things that I had previously not known:
1) I was able to see first hand how coaching can generate an unrealistic expectation in the athlete. The coached girls felt as if they could win the match based on the coaching they had received. Coaching varies in quality and therefore cannot always be trusted entirely. Also, there are many variables that good, even Great, coaching cannot correct; strength of opponent, mental readiness and talent.
2) Good coaching is only part of the equation. Athletes carry a lot of weight in competition. A coach can prepare an athlete for competition in a variety of ways using countless methods but ultimately, the athlete gets to perform, without the coach's help.
3) Coaching can effect the mental preparedness of an athlete. A good coach will work on skills and drills and prepare an athlete for physical competition. A great coach will do all of that and then prepare his or her athlete(s) mentally for a situation. By not allowing the girls time to watch their competition, asses a game plan/strategy or practice a little longer, we greatly affected the outcome of the experiment.