The mind is the hardest and most important ‘muscle’ in the body to train. Nothing can be achieved without training it. The 2 enemies of the mind are laziness and distraction and this applies to both coaches and students.

How many times do you correct the same points on the same students for months and even years and yet they still don’t make the correction themselves each time they move? That’s right – unconscious laziness. They think they are ‘training’ when they should be paying attention.

How many times does the coach look at the student and not do the corrections they should and let them move on? Also (often unconscious) laziness.

Given the key points to learn in a technique how often does a student or instructor veer of course and start discussing other things that interest them about the technique or ideas around it, or even something else that they have been working on or thinking about? That’s right…. distraction.

To get the best out of both student and coach you have to be aware of these traps.

The mind must be aware, focused, sensitive and intense – and never lazy or distracted.