Very good point – and a focus of my study this semester at uni. The answer as always is it depends….
To use Explicit or implicit instructions and their effect on performance/retention- alot of studies (Masters, 1992; Wulf 2007: Lam 2009) show that giving specific technical instructions builds performers who buckle under pressure – is this effective coaching?
Or should we abandon ideas of a textbook technique at all and use guided discovery? When and how much feedback is effective – well some studies have shown that using feedback for 50% was just as effective as 100% of the reps/activity…
Lately I’ve come to the conclusion that too many coaches give feedback for the benefit of onlookers – or to unload their wealth of knowledge to improve their delusions of grandeur. a coaches job is to build good athletes who perform with ease – it’s about simplicity. Coaches guide an athlete to success, and sometime with-holding information is just as important as imparting it.
It’s not hard to make something seem complex – it’s a skill to make something complex seem simple.
The most important thing is athlete’s are individuals – and a good coach knows how to get through to the athlete in the most appropriate way for that athlete.