Anthony Beeler
MOLDING YOUR JUNIOR PLAYER ANTHONY BEELER
As a Master Instructor, I get the privilege of working with junior players of all ability levels. Some are among the best in the world and many are striving to become the best they can be. better, it’s important for the parent to remind the child that these are things they can work on during practice.
FOCUS ON THE PROCESS, NOT THE RESULTS The results a junior gets will never be as important as what they are learning.
Carson and Cameron Beeler
M
ental coaching for junior players is perhaps the most rewarding work I do. Teaching a young player how to develop a positive mindset and watching them grow in both ability and confidence is great! I not only help them become better players, but the newly developed thought processes will also help them in school and sports.
COACHING FOR YOUNG PLAYERS The feedback a junior receives from parents and others heavily influences them. I’ve seen first hand how this can help or hinder their development. Here are some of my insights from working with juniors and their parents
8 | Billiards Buzz • February 2020
and some suggestions for creating a healthy environment for the development of their game.
When a parent reviews a junior’s performance, it’s important to reward the things they did that led to that end result. By this, I mean the process (decision making, pre-shot routine, or attitude). You wouldn’t want a junior to be thinking about the consequences of every shot during the match, so when reviewing their performance, the focus needs to be on the process and how they dealt with the challenges they faced.
BEGIN WITH POSITIVES After the completion of any match, when you start teaching it’s important to start with the positives and then move onto the areas of improvement. If you’d like your junior to think more positively when they’re on the table, then you need to provide an example by doing this yourself. All my students fill out a “Rate Yourself” chart after each match. Students reflect on many positive things but also address things they could have done better. For the things that could have gone
Sam Ryne Henderson
