BOOK
From Olympic gold medalist Jun Mizutani's book, People Who Lose Do Wasteful Practice
A coach must be a “calm analyst,” not a “passionate supporter.”
Chapter 4: What I Expect from a Coach in Order to Win
I met Coach Qiu Jianxin at a time when I was losing quickly even at the World Championships and felt completely at a loss
From a Player’s point of view, what qualities make a great coach or a good instructor?
First and foremost, I would name a clear mind. What Coach Liu Guoliang of China (Liu Guoliang, former Olympic gold medalist and Olympic winning coach) and Coach Qiu Jianxin (Qiu Jianxin / who formerly worked as both a Player and coach for the China national team and in the Bundesliga) have in common is that they think quickly and give the impression of having strong analytical ability.
And they have confidence in themselves. They have 100 percent confidence, as if to say, “I’ve analyzed it, so this is definitely what you should do, and it will definitely be fine.”
It is hard to listen to a coach who says things like, “Why don’t you try this?” or “This is what I think, but what do you think?” and asks the Player for their opinion. That’s the kind of instructor common in Japan.
Sometimes the coach may be wrong, but from the Player’s point of view, it is better to be given advice with confidence. Of course, when the views differ too much, all you can do is discuss it thoroughly. If a coach lacks confidence and there is no time to talk things through, it becomes difficult for the Player to build a relationship of trust with the coach.
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