I Showed Him That Already

I have worked with hundreds of players, most of them individually. I work hard to help each player improve, using all of my expertise as a former player, as an exercise physiologist, and as a teacher. I don't just put players through a "workout." I customize each session depending upon many variables. I want the players to understand why they are performing certain drills. I want them to be able to apply this knowledge to game situations. I want them to learn as they work. I want them to be able to demonstrate this knowledge.

Often parents will ask me what we worked on, and I will usually make the player explain and demonstrate the drills, skills and concepts to their parents. Often, the parent (usually a dad) will exclaim, "I already showed him that. I told him that." Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. One thing is certain, the player didn't learn it.

Let's assume that the parent has a strong knowledge of basketball. Does the parent know what to teach, how to progress, how to explain, how to model, how to give feedback, when to give feedback, the type of feedback to give, and when to fade feedback? Does the parent know and understand child development? Does the parent know and understand kinesiology and biomechanics? Does the parent really know how to teach? Simply being an expert does not mean that you know how to teach. You haven't really taught unless the player demonstrates that they have learned.