Stephen Willis  Dip PT

About Me:

Why you may need a coach

It is sometimes painful for players to realise that to take two steps forward, you have to take a step back first. When I was playing competitively, I didn’t embrace coaching because I was convinced that my game, which was self-taught, would suffer. I was a very independent player, and felt that I didn’t need anyone else’s help. I now realise that I was wrong. The turning point came when I went on a badminton holiday with England players/coaches Andy Goode, Nick Ponting, Jo Goode, Anders Neilson and Dave Wright. Playing with these guys, and watching their training, opened my eyes to how much further you can progress when given the right guidance.

It is important to me to try to remove the barriers that players put up; coaching is not all about destroying your existing game. Many club players resent coaches out of fear of losing the standard of play they already possess. I now understand the frosty reception I sometimes get from players when I first turn up to group coaching sessions.