Observational Learning in Coaching Skill Tim Smith I have never taken a private tennis lesson in my life. In fact, prior to showing up to my first high school tennis practice (after having been cut from the baseball team), I had only played tennis once or twice in a junior high physical education class. Yet, partway through one of my very first drills – volleys – my coach pulled me aside and asked, “You’ve played before, haven’t you?” One of the primary reasons I feel that Coach Judy mistook me for a more experienced player is that I was an observational learner in two ways. First, I grew up watching some of the all-time greatest tennis players with my parents as they cheered on players like Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and Martina Hingis. Second, anytime I was standing in line and awaiting my turn, I was watching the varsity players on the other side of the fence as they went through their own drills. I watched their footwork, body movement, and ...