|
First blog post!  ~
Anyways, I was just wondering for those who received lessons from any starcraft coach, what was your honest opinion before and after receiving the lesson? Was it worth it? Expectations met? Are there things about the system you would change?
This is not meant to single anyone out, no names have to be dropped, in fact, I would discourage it, but I was just pondering on the quality of coaches from months ago; There weren't as many and less people were willing to book lessons, so what changed since then?
What are the qualities of a "good" coach; how does one rate a coach? Simply enlightening you to an previously unknown concept? Reinforcing something you already know and hinted at, but just need someone in the upper echelons to affirm that conclusion for you to work on it? Them being nice and easy to talk to?
How can we compare and/or compromise different teaching styles and criterion to meet the demand of a regular person who just wants to get the most bang out of their buck?
For me, I've never booked a lesson, but I've been looking around and now there seems to be a wide variety of people at different prices. There are only 3 races, yet price ranges range from $5-$300+ per hour. Yes I realize some players are "famous" and people are willing to pay premium for that privilege, but do they honestly get their money's worth? Besides being able to say, "I GOT A 1-ON-1 LESSON FROM X!", does the QUALITY of the lesson differ that much from a lesser known, but still skilled player to say the difference in money is worth it? I think this is especially true when any player can realistically lose to another player at any time at the top tier, so what makes/made YOU choose the coach that you did/would take?
|
I havn't had any lessons my self but i've watch quite a few, mostly ROOTDestiny. Everyone sounds like they have a good time and learn alot from the leasons, plus after looking into it it says something like "you pay half the cost of the lesson and then if you are not happy with it you dont have to pay the other half, and can ask for your money back no questions asked". I don't know about other people though.
I find the best way to improve without spending money is the Day9 Daileys, watching pro level games, mass laddering and having making friends on the ladder so you have practice partners
|
What made me choose the coach I chose was the fact that I watched him stream for a significant length of time, I saw how he interacted with me and his viewers, how he would patiently explain things to those watching his stream, and that he was genuinely appreciative of the time people took to essentially do no more than watch him play a videogame, which is a quality some of the progamers lack (because of the sheer quantity of their fans, no doubt).
The important thing that people need to remember is that its not the skill of the coach at Starcraft that matters. It is the skill of the coach at passing on knowledge to you. The two are very different things.
For a period of time, I dabbled in mixed martial arts. I had many...mentors...I suppose you'd call them during the period. Some were teachers, employed by the academy, others were senior students who volunteered to help out, and others were fellow students with a small edge in skill whom I sought out to practise with.
What I saw was a vast variance in their ability to teach. By and large, those who I feel I learned the most from were patient, flexible, able to state their points in different ways to help you understand, and very understanding.
The biggest thing that a coach must be good at is stating things in a way her student can understand. Many of the teachers I had, while excellent martial arts practictioners, struggled to pass their knowledge on to me. They tried to frame what they knew in a way that made sense to them, and didn't seem to grasp the fact that I couldn't quite see it how they could and needed it explained or demonstrated a different way.
I think my point has wandered a bit. Basically, don't just go for the best player you can find within your budget range. Take your time, look at some reviews of the player and make sure you find the one who is the best teacher.
|
I remember recently reading an article by a progamer (I forget wo it was) who said that getting lessons is pointless unless you've already played over 1000 games, since you'll learn mostly everything you need to know from trial and error anyway.
|
On May 17 2011 17:43 FlaminGinjaNinja wrote:
"you pay half the cost of the lesson and then if you are not happy with it you dont have to pay the other half, and can ask for your money back no questions asked"
I didn't know that, thanks! I wonder what the normal payment process is and how one handles something like someone not showing up,etc.
On May 17 2011 17:54 Dhalphir wrote:
What I saw was a vast variance in their ability to teach. By and large, those who I feel I learned the most from were patient, flexible, able to state their points in different ways to help you understand, and very understanding.
I agree 100%. It pretty much applies anywhere. I've had professors at school who are clearly very astute and intelligent, but have a difficult time relaying their knowledge to students in an effective way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
