It’s easy for sports coaches to forget the “beginner’s struggle.” Once you’ve mastered a discipline, your movements become economical and refined; you’ve trimmed away the excess until the difficult looks effortless. To an outsider, an expert barely looks like they’re trying. But for a novice, every fundamental is a conscious battle, and every motion is inefficiently large.
To reconnect with this reality, I’ve decided to become a beginner again.
Despite being a competent Stand Up Paddleboarder (SUP), I am qualified as an instructor, leader, and sheltered water coach. I have stepped into the world of white water SUP. The experience has been transformative. I am loving the “fun of doing,” but I’m finding even more value in the “fun of failing.” Making mistakes and navigating the steep learning curve of a new environment has been incredibly grounding.
This experience has reinforced a vital lesson: Empathy is a coaching superpower. When we remain comfortable in our expertise, we lose touch with the cognitive load and physical frustration our students face. We forget what it feels like to have “clumsy” muscles or a brain overwhelmed by basic cues. By placing myself back at the starting line, I am reminded of how a beginner actually processes information and how vital patience is to the learning cycle.
I would advise any coach, regardless of their accolades or qualifications, to pick up a sport they have never tried. Immerse yourself in the awkwardness of a new skill. Understanding the emotional and physical hurdles of a novice firsthand is the single most effective way to refine your communication and become a more impactful, empathetic educator.
Being an expert is great, but being a beginner is where the real growth, for both you and your future students, truly happens.
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