Watch the video above and take special notice to the bridge on the violins.  The bridge is the little piece of wood that raises the strings from the resonating chamber.  It also transfers the vibrating energy of the string to the resonating chamber.

Now that you understand a little about the anatomy of a violin imagine that the violin is in the hands of the greatest musician alive.  The musician has all the knowledge, skill and talent to create beautiful music.  The violin’s resonating chamber has the capability to produce beautiful sounds.  But what if the bridge is missing?  Without that simple little bridge all the knowledge and skill in the world will not allow the chamber to resonate beautiful music.  The bridge is the key that links the knowledge of the musician to the inner capability of the instrument.

This is what “true” coaching is really all about, finding a bridge between the coach and the player.  A coach can have all the knowledge in the world and the athlete a tremendous amount of talent but nothing happens unless the two can establish a connection or bridge.  The coach needs a way to allow what he is teaching to resonate with the athlete.  The athlete also needs the bridge to be able to provide subtle feedback to the coach.  This is the secret that truly great coaches know.  It is not the knowledge they have or the talent the athlete already possess, it is the bridge that allows it all to happen.  So what exactly is the bridge in coaching?  The answer is it is different for everyone and it is the great coach who actively searches for that unique bridge with each athlete, whatever that may be.

To conclude here is my good friend and mentor Chuck Kriese explaining the bridge.

The Bridge from Kids Play For Good on Vimeo.