Coaching Bias

[Belloz22]

curious coaching in relation to coaching.....

while i was studying for my psychology degree i come across a phenomenon called experimenter bias. in this sense.... if a participant was doing a questionnaire in front of an experimenter, more often than not the patient would often give answers which they believe the experimenter is looking for.

so in relation to snooker coaching..... would a student who goes for coaching always show themselves at there worst. from my own experience i always find i try much harder when my coach is watching me, and im less inclined to make the same silly mistakes that i would when i play without a coach watching. so...... how does a coach go about seeing a student at their worst??

[CoachGavin]

Personally I find some students try really hard to look good for their coach but it gives a false impression. Once I give them a routine to do they forget all about their technique and concentrate on the routine. This allows me to see their natural technique that they would use in a match. I can then see any flaws they have in their technique and work on them.

[Terry Davidson]

If a coach challenges a player with a routine, like Gavin says above, I find the coach has a good chance in seeing what's really going on with the student.

Terry