Back in the 1990s.......
....I had a little stint as a tennis player. Yeah, I played quite a bit over the course of nine years. Learned lots of stuff - like, how not all tennis players wear those silly white uniforms and everything has to be all "Wimbledon" proper and crap. No, we played public court tennis - beat up shoes, bandannas, no shirt, torn up shorts, played everyone......just fun! And we got to be quite good players.
Rodney, what in the world has this got to do with cycling???
Well......during this time as a tennis player, I noticed one thing that Bud Collins once said commentating on a professional tournament - he said that tennis was one of the most over-coached sports in the world. And man, he wasn't kidding. You could be coached by anyone and everyone around you - and it usually happened that way...."Hey, you're follow-through is all wrong, and what's up with your grip......you should be holding the racquet like this!!" That kinda junk. To me, it was annoying.
What's interesting to note is that there seems to be a correlation with some(not all) of the most experienced riders on the road and the most experienced players on the tennis court. What is it? It's this - They offer a few pointers, and then let the student play.....or in our case, ride. Leave it at that, unless a question might come up. And most of all, let the sport become an activity of self-discovery, imagination and improvement. Patience and consistency. Learn by doing.
I see that there are quite a few more out there now riding bicycles who like to assist other riders and coach them along. Hey, that's great - and it is important - especially if it's done in a nice & correct way. But remember, sometimes the most satisfying thing out there is to let riders discover things for themselves.
Rodney, what in the world has this got to do with cycling???
Well......during this time as a tennis player, I noticed one thing that Bud Collins once said commentating on a professional tournament - he said that tennis was one of the most over-coached sports in the world. And man, he wasn't kidding. You could be coached by anyone and everyone around you - and it usually happened that way...."Hey, you're follow-through is all wrong, and what's up with your grip......you should be holding the racquet like this!!" That kinda junk. To me, it was annoying.
What's interesting to note is that there seems to be a correlation with some(not all) of the most experienced riders on the road and the most experienced players on the tennis court. What is it? It's this - They offer a few pointers, and then let the student play.....or in our case, ride. Leave it at that, unless a question might come up. And most of all, let the sport become an activity of self-discovery, imagination and improvement. Patience and consistency. Learn by doing.
I see that there are quite a few more out there now riding bicycles who like to assist other riders and coach them along. Hey, that's great - and it is important - especially if it's done in a nice & correct way. But remember, sometimes the most satisfying thing out there is to let riders discover things for themselves.
posted by Chico Cyclist at 12:42 PM
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