Coaching, Inside Out or Outside In?

Renowned instructor, Butch Harmon, once said that Tiger Woods is a pleasure to coach because he’s such an intelligent student. Interesting. Does that mean only the most intelligent of us are coachable? In the outside in coaching model it does, which is why we’re fortunate that occasionally someone reminds us that a better, though less common, model exists and that is inside out coaching. Outside in coaching is a directive approach dependent on four factors. First, the coach needs to possess a certain expertise. Then he must have the skill to communicate his expertise. Third, the student must be willing to learn, and finally, the student must be capable enough to implement the concepts the coach is teaching. Phew! The problem with this approach is that these four factors must align as perfectly as the stars above and we all know that doesn’t happen every day. The result is that players with tremendous potential often end up in the trash heap after being classified as unteachable, unmotivated or having a learning disorder. Coaching competence is another problem. Since an outside in type of coach must, by definition, be the source of all answers, a golfer who wants to become a Masters Champion would need to find a former champion to reach that level. And of course that’s not always practical. Alan Fine, a PGA Tour coach, identified these problems and decided to search for solutions. After trading ideas with Timothy Gallwey, author of The Inner Game of Golf, he discovered that the most effective coaches tap into a player’s primal learning abilities. This is an inside out model. If you’re a coach try to notice if you are coaching from the outside in or the inside out. If you’re a player, coaching yourself, consider which approach you’re using and I’ll highlight why you’ll want to use more inside out strategies in my next article. Bob Skura is the author of the award-winning book, How Great Golfers Think – Perfecting Your Mental Game. For more information visit: www.howgreatgolfersthink.com