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Have you ever wondered who to listen to? Is the phrase "Heel down" that often appears in the coach's mouth true? And "Gallop!" - does it refer to speed, correct use of the calf or what? Read our blog about what is a HIT and what is a MIT.

Having a trainer is important when learning horse riding. How can I find an instructor who will teach me well when I don't know what this learning should look like? He has been observing the training process of younger and older horse riding students for many years. I had the pleasure in life that my trainers were professional, educated and knew what sports training was about. I learned a lot of lessons from them that I now use with my own students. Unfortunately, the stories I hear from people who come to me open my eyes to this less professional and definitely less pleasant way of learning horse riding.

Therefore, I decided to create a series of "training RED FLAGS" so that everyone can learn how a trainer/instructor should not behave. Don't be afraid - "coaching GREEN FLAGS" will also be created. After all, as a trainer I cannot only pay attention to the negatives, but let's start with what to avoid when choosing the right trainer for yourself.

The first trainer's RED FLAG (RF) is a training that makes you feel depressed, humiliated, ridiculed, etc. The trainer has the right, and even the obligation, to tell us something painful from time to time. However, no one should feel wronged by such attention. Personally, I say unpleasant things once and for all - it will hurt a little, but it will stop in a moment and bring relief. If strong comments or even shouting do not bring relief, please run away from such a trainer immediately. He transfers his frustrations to the rider instead of teaching him!

The second coaching RF is to put the rider at the forefront. We find it during training sessions where the rider is always right, but the horse is stupid. In the later stages, this escalates to taking it out on the horse, which (in my opinion) is always innocent. Unfortunately, it also creates the rider's belief that he is great. No matter how good he is, such an athlete's blind conviction turns off his thinking and kills the happiness of people and beings surrounded by such a pompous champion. Stay away from trainers who blame the horses!

The third coaching RF is being stuck at one level for several years or constantly going back to the basics. I repeat more than once on my Instagram and Facebook that sometimes trainers do not admit their ignorance, thus profiting from the ignorance of their players. If you feel that the training is boring, too easy for you, or you simply feel like you are repeating the first class all the time - ask your trainer what the point is. It may happen that your course of teaching requires it, but from my own professional experience I know that this is the time to look for another trainer or have an honest conversation with the current one. The development should be sinusoidal, not straight.

The fourth coaching RF is…. slogans. “Heel down”, “Gallop”, “Calf”, “Hold it”, “Arms straight”, “Relax” and many others. What does all this actually mean? What to hold? How to hold? What should be more relaxed - everything? So how can I give my calf if I'm supposed to be loose? Arms straight - in which axis? From the elbow, meaning, or in relation to the horse's neck? Little information, a lot of shouting, even more unknowns. Observing other training sessions, I get the impression that these are slogans that each rider understands in their own way. Let us dispel a few myths from this paragraph:

• First: the heel should not be down. The heel should be positioned with a downward tendency, as this affects the correct positioning of the entire leg, but the heel itself should not be down, as this locks the hips.

• Secondly: gallop does not refer to speed, but to the quality of the gallop. If your trainer overuses the slogan "gallop", ask him to explain it. From observation, I will say that, in my opinion, the famous "gallop" means "engage", i.e. improve the quality of your gallop. (A quality gallop is one in which the rider is able to lengthen and shorten the horse at any time at his own discretion. This is called closing the horse on aids. It is a relatively complicated matter resulting from the correctness of contact and the permeability of the horse through the back).

• Thirdly, the slogan “calf!” But what about the calf? Should I kick, punch, back, work from bottom to top, loosen up? The calf in horse riding has many functions, including: it has the function of pushing, activating, lifting, supporting, stopping, shortening, lengthening, etc. A trainer who shouts "calf" all the time gets RF from me, because after such a command, the rider usually starts kicking the horse or beating the horse with a whip. A very unpleasant picture.

The fifth coaching RF is negative or aggressive responses to questions. Every person under my care has the right not to know, and everyone has the right to find out by asking questions. The trainer should calmly answer the trainee's question and continue training. Run away from coaches who laugh at you, gossip about you with other coaches and avoid answering your questions!

We did well by the end of this post. I hope that I have managed to expand your knowledge about coaching behavior to some extent. If you liked the article and are waiting for more, please follow my social media. There I will let you know about new products coming to the website. See you in the next entry!