Article by Doug Cooper July 2016
Many would agree that coaching is essentially a decision making process; what do we coach, how do we coach and when do we coach perhaps making up a constant careful balance of decisions we need to make. The same could be said about when we are out leading groups or just paddling a river for ourselves – the dynamic world of paddlesports is reliant on constant good decisions. Luckily for us we practice decision making every day, take perhaps when driving to visit someone. Decisions may start with planning how to get there, checking a map, what time to leave, how best to avoid the traffic or do we need to fill up with fuel. Once in the car and driving more decisions will be made, when to slow down, what to avoid, when to change gear, when to indicate, to think of a few. In essence life is about constant decision-making – so when coaching, leading or performing surely the decision-making should be easy?
