The simple answer is there's a Massive difference, so let's look into this subject a little deeper.
How do you react when you are told to do something? Would you react differently if you were made aware that doing something different would really benefit you?
You see teaching is mainly one sided, the teacher tells you what to do, where as coaching is a two way thing.
I love this quote " Awerness Cures , trying fails"
A great coach will have a whole host of clever questions in his armoury, all to make you think differently and create Awerness.
Here's a simple example of what a coach will do differently to a teacher..
We know that tension is the killer of golf swings, but how would a coach approach this differently to a teacher?
Teacher " you look tense, relax a bit "
Coach "if on a scale of 1-10 10 being the most tense you could be what number would you give yourself ? " where abouts in your body do you feel most tense? Can you reduce your tension by 1 or 2? How does this feel now?
By asking a question it involves the other person and gets them to really think about something, creating that awareness.
Involving a person is so much more powerful that telling someone what to do. For many years I was a teacher, thinking I was doing a good job when in reality I never made the difference I could have done had I known about coaching at a much younger age, I truly believe that anyone who is trying to help another professionally should learn about coaching, the difference is unbelievable.
If your reading this and thinking of seeking help, make sure you ask the professional if they are a Teacher or a coach, a teacher won't know the difference but a coach will, and if they reply teacher make your apologies and carry on your search for a coach.
Please don't take my word for this, do some research, have a look on YouTube for a start and look up Timothy Gallway he is one of the best coaches ever, also Fred Shoemaker the practise of practising and Brian Sparks the easiest swing in golf, Brian doesn't speak on his 4 minute video just demonstrates, you get drawn into the simplicity of the swing and begin to notice all that he does which is coaching genius. These people don't tell you what to do, they simply make you aware so that you can make the changes required.
Becoming a Positive Impact Golf Coach is one of the best decisions of my life, being part of a family of coaches has been a game changer, im now certain that I can help any golfer and its given me so much more confidence. There are a lot of brilliantly clever teachers out there who fully understand their subject but are they able to transfer this knowledge in an enjoyable and understandable way?
From a personal point of view I sought out a so called brilliant teacher, I was at a loss with my swing and everything I tried didn't work, the lesson went on for 2 hours, I hit just 4 balls in that time, I don't think I spoke for more than 5 minutes in total and left feeling confused and useless. The teacher seemed helbent on telling me how much he knew about the swing, but didn't seem to worry if my shots got worse. This too me was not an outcome I had expected, and needless to say I never went back for another lesson.
If this has made you question things in a different way then I think I've done my job, as always if I can be of any help and you want to ask me a question, please feel free to leave a comment
Happy Golfing
Julian Mellor
PGA Professional
Positive Impact Golf Coach
Stoneleigh Deer Park Golf Club
Julianmellorpga@icloud.com
