Do we really coach?

After day one of our Sheltered Water SUP Coach course, our co-tutor's approach reminded me of a conversation I had with another coach.... how many of us really coach or do we instruct? For clarity I'm referring to these terms under the British Canoeing system.

When we look at our interactions with learners, are we adopting only a command style where we feed the learner with the answers, or are we truly facilitating learning with our interactions? Questioning and thought provoking exercises to draw out discovery and reflection by the learner are key to coaching. Is there a right or wrong answer or technique in paddling and to what extent are technical templates a personal shape of our skills? Are these typical to each person and are we just passing on our preferred way of paddling or should we encourage learners to discover what works for them?