Skiers with no confidence

I have skied with a person a few years ago who lacks complete self confidence, one day fine and skis very well and the next day back to square one.
Not very keen on lessons has the odd private and comes back to tell us the instructor thinks "Im really good" ....... i spent six years frustrated skiing with them, how one day really quite good the next Im pulling what hair I left out.
I'm no instructor but I have always been able to get the best out of people I ski with, but this one was a failure. :evil:

Don't instructors flatter students to increase business? The teaching principle (heard from a friend who trains skate instructors): "always say something positive to the student, and if the you can't think of anything good about their skating, say 'I like your T-shirt'."

Innsbrucker wrote:Don't instructors flatter students to increase business? The teaching principle (heard from a friend who trains skate instructors): "always say something positive to the student, and if the you can't think of anything good about their skating, say 'I like your T-shirt'."

TBO I give people a bit more common sense but hey ho 8)

Innsbrucker wrote:Don't instructors flatter students to increase business? The teaching principle (heard from a friend who trains skate instructors): "always say something positive to the student, and if the you can't think of anything good about their skating, say 'I like your T-shirt'."

More because people learn better if they have positive reinforcement, together with honest non-judgmental feedback. The theory these days is that the praise should be more directed at a persons effort and progress, rather than at their performance https://www.google.com/search?q=mindset+feedback