On the face of it it comes across that way but no he´s known that for many years. Doesn´t mean sometimes one still gets it wrong thats human nature.
For example if I simply tell you once what the "dutch reach" is when exiting your car for cyclists and your own safety the next 100 times you exit your car do you do it 100 times?.... no. Sometimes you forget, sometimes you remember (because you had a close call perhaps) eventually it clicks and the length of eventually depends on context.
In all the 100 or so elite athletes I´ve worked with there´s absolutely plenty that "I´ve led to the waters edge and shown them how to drink and they still drink only when they realise they are thirsty" and there´s plenty that I´ve conveyed a message a multitude of times for performance purposes and it wasn´t until they went away worked with another coach conveying same message in different language did the penny drop, that´s coaching for you.
I am as guilty of the following as anyone else but when we start out coaching we crave knowledge to have all the answers to every question...... great coaches 20+ years down the line will have the depth and breadth of wisdom to realise that the position they are now afforded is to simply ask better questions.
Am pretty open about my thoughts on coaching as and when I can be because I feel knowledge and experience should be shared not immediately commoditised.
To circle back to your point and a later comment of "
I learned this lesson swimming the 200 free in high school and it has stuck with me over the years"...... how many prior years of swimming had you done before "learning" that? And consequently have you paced every race perfectly?
It´s great to read plenty of folks breaking down what people like Lionel or Sam do getting all reductionist.... "just do X, just think Y..." however it is never that easy or simple.
David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com