What is it that makes a good pickleball lesson? Specifically, what qualities should be present during great group training?

In the six part series, we are going to introduce something called the Quality Standards. This framework is used as part of Canada’s instructor certification course delivered collaboratively between Pickleball Canada and Tennis Canada. It was developed by Wayne Elderton, one of Canada’s foremost coaching experts. I would argue that no matter what sport you teach — or even if you teach in a classroom setting — thinking about Quality Standards can be helpful. 

The Caring Instructor. The first Quality Standard is the Caring Instructor. This is very much about who the instructor is or, at the very least, who they pretend to be. This standard is about interpersonal skills and making all of the participants in a group session feel valued, appreciated, and important.

Let’s look at some specific behaviours that would indicate someone is a caring instructor:

Using Names. A caring instructor calls people by their name. They make an effort to learn someone’s name, or, at a minimum, have name tags available so they can be used easily. Personally, I don’t like using name tags. I think it is more professional and safer to learn a person's name by heart. In any event, using someone’s name makes the whole encounter more personal and that each person is not just a number on your registration list.

Praise and Encouragement. A caring instructor celebrates their players' success, and encourages them to go for more. This doesn’t mean flattering the player and telling them things that are untrue, but recognizing and verbalizing when they do something well. This could be as simple as saying “I really appreciate your effort”. “I like the focus you bring to the courts”. “You’re doing a good job following the drill”. When it comes to encouragement, the coach might say something like: “That was pretty good, but I think you can do even better”. “I see what you’re trying to do there and I like it. But have you considered this other option?”.  “Way to go! You hit eight good forehands in a row, now let’s see if you can do it with your backhand!”.

Praise and encouragement shows that the instructor is engaged with the player and cares about their effort, attitude, and performance.

General Professional Behaviour. A caring instructor does what they say they will do and models professional behaviour. For example, a caring instructor starts and finishes their lesson on time so nobody’s time is wasted. A caring instructor is prepared for their lesson with all of the equipment and plans they will need.  A caring instructor treats everyone with respect and makes people feel welcome. They regularly check in to make sure everybody is happy and they follow up in the case of a negative experience. The caring instructor may even go above and beyond and provide follow up notes after a lesson to reinforce key teaching points and things learned. 

One of the challenges of group pickleball training is that the coach has to divide their attention between all the participants. But by paying attention to some of the behaviours listed above, an effective instructor can make everybody in the session feel cared about. While they shouldn’t become everyone’s best friend, by using names, praising and encouraging effort and behaving like a professional, the instructor can create the impression that they genuinely care about everyone. And that is a great starting point for a group pickleball lesson!