Solving the Problem of Information Overload By Steve Kaplan It’s often been said that to be the best at tennis you must be a great "problemsolver", yet very little is actually written about how coaches can help students learn how to solve problems. Specifically, an often neglected yet vital topic is: how can a young tennis player reconcile differing instruction from multiple professional sources? It’s particularly relevant today because we live in a world in which so much information is accessible, inevitable and 38
conditioned by reinforcing our confirmation bias. Some primary coaches deal with potential information "overload" by demanding that they be the singular source of instruction and no other opinions are valid or permitted. Unfortunately, such a demand is unrealistic, immature and selfish. Teachers shouldn't fear information and students shouldn't avoid it. Instead, teachers can help students, examine instruction, conceptualize it, flush it out and break it down to teach students how to separate misinformation from fact and
Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2020 • LITennisMag.com
observation from wisdom. Tennis is about solving problems and if students don't have a strong instruction receptive filter, shielding them from information doesn't offer a solution, it creates another problem. There is a better way. We can teach students to be intelligent, active decision-makers because the best players take responsibility for their successes, their failures and their education. I start by inviting students to question the instruction that I provide to them. Saying "listen carefully and thoughtfully,
