The best teachers
I believe that every teacher that has the desire to really help his students improve, teaches and coaches to the best of their abilities. However, that certainly does not mean that all teachers possess the same abilities. No one can teach beyond the level of his/her own understanding. This is why seeking an instructor with high level of playing and teaching experience and expertise is critical to getting the help that you need to really improve.
The best teachers in the world work from an image of the finished product back to the beginning. In my instruction, I ask a lot of questions up front in order to find out what the student’s intent and goals are, what strong beliefs they have about their swings and game, what their perceptions are, previous sports experiences that we may build upon and whether they have any limitations that would keep them from achieving their intentions. I liken myself as a master sculpture who has a blob of clay or big block of granite–the student–to work with and then knows exactly where to first take the first big piece off and then the smaller piece and finally use a chisel, sand paper and finally a brush to reveal the finished product-the student’s goal. The completed project is always in my mind…that is how I know how to help the student…start with the most glaring issues first and work towards the more subtle…from the big picture to the details.