Conversation #18 Replacing an instruction with a question does not automatically make your coaching player-centred. Many coaches simply disguise their instructions as closed questions: “Shouldn’t you prepare earlier?” “Could you get your racket back sooner?” “Do you think you need to bend your knees more?” The coach has already decided what happened and what the solution should be. The player is merely expected to agree. That isn’t meaningful exploration. It is guided compliance with a question mark at the end. Genuinely player-centred questions help the coach understand the situation from the player’s perspective: “What did you notice?” “What were you trying to achieve?” “What information influenced your decision?” “What options did you feel were available?” “What might you explore next time?” These questions create space for players to describe what they perceived, intended and experienced. Crucially, they may give you an answer you were not expecting. That is the un...