There Are No Shortcuts
February 22, 2008

By: Masaaki Tajima, National Level Coach At every tournament I go to, someone always ask for advice and when I have the time, I oblige. Some follow up by taking coaching lessons from me or by others.

When I have new students join my program or take private lessons, I usually advise them not to play in tournaments until they found their “comfort zone” (there are exceptions). It may take just a couple of weeks or months. This is when they are able to automatically apply the new techniques and moves without reverting back to their old ways. If players, especially adults, who have been playing for years already, jumps into tournaments expecting instant results after initial coaching sessions without establishing this comfort zone, they will inevitably revert back to their old comfort zone in order to win the match, negating the time, expense, the new learned techniques, then wonder if coaching helped them at all.

Adult players are more susceptible to this problem due to the nature of who and what they are; older set body structure requiring restructuring their motor skills, akin to rehabilitation, and other problems of physical, medical and personal in nature that comes with competition. In some countries, junior players in training programs are not allowed to play in tournaments for several years until they established their fundamentals. So if adult players believe they still have room for improvement and desire it, then they need to plan and commit for the long term, with realistic achievable goals, understanding they have limits. Just as top players and promising juniors commit to their long-term goals, there are no shortcuts.

Here is some advice on how to apply new techniques learned after coaching sessions, clinics and camps before you go to a tournament.

Work-in your new techniques and moves at practice matches, never thinking about the result of the match, only about the execution. Assess your response; how much hesitation, nervousness and fear did you feel? Some players can play at 2000 levels in practice but 1700 in tournaments. Playing in more tournaments is not necessarily the cure to overcome nervousness and fears although experience helps. This is another issue regarding personal development in the realm of coaching but, when you are able to think technically and tactically in-between points and games, and execute without hesitation, whether you missed or not, you are ready to test yourself.