In his final return to the world tour, the best surfer in history, Kelly Slater, hired a full-time, modern-style coach for the first time in his career in the prestigious former CT, representing Ireland and Australia, Glenn “Micro” Hall, the Stab website reported a week ago.

Hall said that although Kelly's time is up these days, as she will have a wildcard for Tahiti and Fiji, their work together will continue.

Speaking to Stab, Hall shared some aspects of Slater’s life that were more than interesting, highlighting how it is “a good message for everyone else. He doesn’t go away like he has it all figured out. I mean, if anyone could get away with it, it would be Kelly. But he chooses to keep learning. It shows that you should always learn and enjoy the challenge and find ways to slowly improve, whether it’s in mindset, equipment, technique or just strategy in a series. Kelly is giving a very interesting message to the world about humility.”

Hall said that in Hawaii earlier this year, Slater contacted him and said he would like his help for his final trip around the globe.

Regarding the obvious: What it’s like to help someone who’s lived it all and seen it all when it comes to surfing, Hall said, “He’s obviously the greatest of all time, but he’s still an athlete, he’s still a human being like everyone else who has his own self-doubts and whose overthinking brain can kick in around events,” Glenn said. “Like everyone else, he needs a sounding board. And he really cares, he wants to do well, he’s passionate about putting on a good performance. The big challenge for everyone is to get out of their own way and let the surfing speak for itself. Kelly has this incredible instinct and connection to the ocean. I wanted him to tap into it more, embrace it, enjoy it and not be so stressed out in his senior year. I wanted him to rely on his 50 years of experience.”

He added: “With Kelly, I wasn’t exactly sure what my coaching role would be like because he’s obviously so good, but it ended up being similar to anyone else’s: You give your honest opinion on the team or the shift selection or the lines he’s drawing, and from the first session we just seemed to click and it was really great. When you take away the thousands of wins he’s had and just focus on the present, that’s when he’s surfing his best. And I wanted him to enjoy those coaching sessions and the whole event experience since he won’t be competing as much now.”

And she shared an anecdote: “There was a moment during Margaret’s event where I was really honest with him about getting out of his own way and not overthinking. And when I was writing the message I was like, ‘Is this too brutal or black and white or harsh? ’ But it was the truth. And I think that’s what he appreciated the most, that I was honest with him. Trying to find a way to convey the truth in a constructive and polite way so that they really appreciate the feedback and don’t feel resistant or threatened or offended — I think that’s the art of coaching. Not everyone takes feedback that well, but Kelly does, and she really appreciates honesty.”