Table Tennis England The Winning Edge Issue 8 | Page 9

WALK THIS WAY
Beyond the mentoring, Paul is clear that the type of
learning he’s done in the past year has challenged his
way of coaching and made him consider what different
things he can do to help his players.
“When I first started coaching I used to just drill, drill,
drill all the time, using instructions to get the point
across. Now I’m trying to be a lot more creative, do a
lot more game-based training and competitive training
involving points, which in turn is getting the players to
think more about what it is that they are doing, how it
feels to them and why they are doing it. I’m asking the
players questions to make them think and lead them
to the answer rather than telling them the answer all
the time.”
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With the benefit of his recent experiences in mind,
Paul explains that for coaches who don’t need or want
to follow him on the pathway, there are lots of ways to
learn and improve without committing to a full-time
coaching career.
“There is always something new to learn and you can
always improve as a coach. Guide your own learning,
don’t wait for people to tell you things, go out and
actively find the information you are looking for. If you
are unsure about something, just ask someone and
bounce your thoughts and ideas off them.” And ask us
at the Coaching Department. Whatever way you want
to approach the pathway, we’re here to help.
WE
Paul Johnson and fellow Blitz TTC member Darcie Proud in action, while above, Blitz coach Kurt Hutson talks with young star Tom Mcintosh