November 01, 2022

#118: Kelly Sykes - Coaches it's okay to not have all the answers

39 minutes

We have another young game changer on The Coaching Podcast in tennis and performance coach, Kelly Sykes. Kelly displays wisdom beyond his years in sharing one of his biggest sliding doors moments that taught him that it's okay to not have all the answers to our students' questions. Kelly explains the difference between mentoring, coaching and psychology and helps tennis directors understand that one of the keys to inspiring the next generation of coaches is in valuing the importance of CREATIVITY! You will not be disappointed with this episode and you can zoom in on Kelly's comments here;

Best coaching moment: What we can learn from our students and growing up as part of a military family 2:33

Worst coaching moment; Coaching burnout (self-awareness and talking things out with someone before you pass over your threshold) 5.19

Sliding Doors: Created a mission that time and shared experiences are valuable 7:45

Learn how to be okay with unanswered questions 8.34

It's important to have independent connections (what level of coaching will suit each individual) 10.24

The importance of setting boundaries 11.06

What makes a Great Coach? 13:03 (Diversity, adaptation, and learning)

Where do you get your mentorship from? 15.56

How do you grow other people with that mentorship? 16.09

Consider: Are you learning "from" a coach OR "with" a coach for your growth and the growth of others (it's a different perspective) 16.58

What is the difference between a mentor, coach, and psychologist? 19.42

Your best training partner is the wall! 23.39

The skill of learning itself is not just defined by information 27.16

Directors of clubs: Creative ideas will open up new possibilities for this next generation of coaches 32.11

Top tips on igniting coaches' interest in understanding learning - ask yourself:

1) What are your learning outlets? 33.31

2) Do you think there is a difference between learning and development? 34.24

3) Recommendation: Take 1 day a month when you are learning and/or developing and work on not asking questions or not responding and simply just listen and absorb the information or situation (we learn when we are in silence) 32.52

What's next? 34.22

The Coaching Podcast is sponsored by Transition Coach 4 Athletes - a US college placement and mentoring service run by Tina Samara. Visit: www.transitioncoach4athlets.com or email: [email protected]

About Kelly Sykes:

Kelly Sykes transforms different genres of psychology - ranging from sports psychology to social, behavioral, mental health, and performance psychology to infuse a new purpose
for players to understand themselves and their tennis. Kelly has over 10 years of tennis coaching in different tennis fields like player development Coaching, Division I college coaching, wheelchair, nonprofit, and tennis clubs and resorts – specializing in Juniors and Adults alike. Kelly Sykes has received higher-level tennis accreditation from the United States Professional Tennis Association, Professional Tennis Registry, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA), being one of the first individuals to achieve a young professional of the year and all these coaching feats before reaching 25! He has had the opportunity to coach
top-ranked junior players and continues to represent his personal tennis and psychology research articles with companies like Tennis Channel's Tennis Magazine in June 2022.

Connect with Kelly:

Website: https://Stradatennisonline.net

Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/stradatennisonline
https://twitter.com/KellySy14601331

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By Emma Doyle

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