Be One with the Landings

"Takeoff's are optional. Landings are mandatory." - Unknown

Getting off the ground is easy, it's getting back to it that can be the tricky part. There are various methods to get a student to improve their landings, you just have to find which one works. Before that, you probably need to diagnose what's causing their problem in the first place. Is it something they're not seeing? A technique they should know, but don't? Or is it something more complex? Whatever it is, once that is resolved there is a better chance of fixing and improving their landings. For me, I would start asking about what they see from short final to touchdown. It's possible, for instance, that they're not looking where they should be to correctly gauge when to flare and roll. If that's not the case. follow them on the controls. They may not be using enough trim, or improper aileron/rudder input. If that's not the root cause, try a different locale. If the same problem persists, I would consult another instructor and probably send the student with another instructor to get a different perspective and fresh insights. During this time I wouldn't alarm the student to abnormal progress, but rather make the effort that something like this is a normal part of training, everyone plateaus at some point. After a few review flights, I would definitely note something is not right, and notify my superior(s) about the possible issue. If this unfortunately persists past the point of several hours/reviews (each case is different, but let's assume 5 hobb hours in this instance or several dozen landing attempts) and the student fails a stage check based on the landings issue...it may be a time for "the talk". What I'm referring to is that perhaps they should pursue a different career in aviation or another field. Of course, landing problems would not be the sole cause for this discussion. If other issues have arisen (defense mechanisms, disinterest, a change in behavior since the student started) in conjunction with the landing problems, then it would be a good idea to talk about other options instead of flying. I would consider myself extremely fortunate (and lucky) if I never had to have such a talk with a student.