How To Decide On A Coach

Look at their coaching experience, as well as the athletes they coach. Judging a coaches performance is not necessary, as they say, those who can't do, coach...

Coach Gordo has a pretty good webpage on this very subject:

http://coachgordo.com/mostcoach/index.html

Mike Ricci has some points on his website as well; http://www.d3multisport.com/blog/index.php/benefits-of-hiring-a-coach.

As for your questions:

1)  Absolutely; the coach should be able to provide you contact information for athletes you can contact; make sure you are not just contacting their FOP athletes but get in touch with athletes who are at (or started at) the same level you are currently at. 

2)  Absolutely not

3)  Absolutely; their experience should inform their rates so if you are higher a first year USAT Level 1 coach the price should be significantly less than a coach with twenty years experience who has a Level 3 certification.  This is not always the case and there are some very inexperienced coaches who are charging $250+/month because they can.

Other things that I would consider:

- how many athletes are they coaching
- do they provide a program for each athlete or are they working from a template
- do they do the programming themselves or are they using an engine
- how often is feedback provided and how often are your allowed to contact the coach
- how often will the coach rearrange your schedule
- how often and how is the program delivered
- how often and how do you provide feedback to the coach

Shane

I have to differ on #3, what about the "new" level 1 coach, who has been involved in tris for years, maybe has a degree in something sports related but is just getting into coaching because they discovered they like helping people? SHOULD they charge less than the more experienced Level 1 coach without the degree whose been certified longer?

I would look for somene who is going to listen to what your goals are and help you achieve them. Yes, experience should count, and more experience is usually worth more $$, but there are a lot of factors to take into account IMO.

IMO, yes.

This assumes that the "new" level 1 coach has not been involved with coaching prior to getting their certification and that the experienced Level 1 coach has been actively coaching.

In fact, I think that the first year or two of coaching should be done for free; find two or three athletes that are looking for a coach (triathlon clubs/junior programs are almost always looking for coaches) and coach them for no fee while you gain experience.  Then, if you decide that coaching is something that you are good at and still want to pursue, then consider charging for your services.

The triathlon coaching model seems to be:

* get certified
* create website
* offer coaching at $200/month
* take on as many athletes as possible while using the TTB to build programs

Shane

I've worked with coaches for 5 years...first one for 4 years and a new one this year.

Above what others say, you should see how you click with the person. Some coaches may be wonderful but they may not be a good fit.

Make a list of what is important to you and see how the coach matches up to that. Personality does make a difference. Some of the lower cost programs limit the contact you may have with them.

Looking at success of their athletes can be misleading as you need to consider where those athletes started. Finding someone like you ability wise who they have worked with will probably be a better indicator of how things might be for you.

Some coaches who still compete tend to coach folks similar to them. Do they like coaching new folks, long course athletes, ect?  A pro triathlete told me back 5 years ago when looking for a coach that most like coaching fast folks but take others to make money. I am not fast but found my first coach was a great match for me and he understood me and celebrated my success for me.

I'd suggest asking to talk with some of their athletes as you'll learn a lot about how they are to interact with and how helpful they are. How quickly they get back to you when you send them an email.

Their philosophy and how they work I think is key for you to understand.

There are a ton of members here who are also coaches. I will be competing in my first Ironman in May of next year and will actually hire a coach I have watched here for years to help me through the winter. You really should look at some of the people here -- a couple are very, very good.

Mike

That is my approach.  I'm not doing it for an income.  I'm doing it to help others enjoy the sport and pass on some of my experience.  I actually mainly got my certifications because people recognize that more readily and associate it with professionalism which I try to convey when I work with an athlete (as opposed to the smart azz I am sometimes on the forums).  But if I don't have an athlete that I can refer them to and say "Talk with him/her and see what they think of how I coach" then regardless of credentials I don't see a lot of credence in pawning myself off.

One of the key things that you should look at is the approach that the coach has to training.  Are they really toy driven (HRM, power meter, metronome, etc.) or more simplistic (pace, RPE, splits)?  And how does that fit with how you prefer to train?  Someone who is really aware of all their numbers and HR and such may not gel with a coach who sticks to the basics and just gets you out there doing your work.

Also, don't be afraid to ask who THEY look up to for coaching advice and philosophies.  I like Daniels and Pfitzinger for running as an example, others don't.

And ask for some a sample week from them that they've prescribed to others to get an idea of what you can roughly expect your schedule to look like.

I've never really found anyone that I felt comfortable enough to start giving money to. Right off the back without knowing how things will workout with them and me. I'll admit however, I'm probably being really picky. The couple I'd like to work with, in the area, are a bit pricey for what I'd like out of the relationship.

So I guess I'll be self coached for a while. Maybe I'll run into someone I get excited about working with them one day.

Rick,

You were one of the people I was thinking of when I was posting; it is great to see someone who is interested not only in the certification part of coaching but also the "internship" that should be an integral part of coaching development.  While there are many coaches who will follow this model (whether it be like you to provide coaching to a few athletes for free/very little or by joining a large group and working with a more experienced coach) there are far too many that seem to be interested in making as much money as quickly as possible.

I am very excited with what Triathlon Canada has decided to do with the next level of certification I will be pursuing (Competition Development which is equivalent of the USAT Level 3) where a coach is partnered with a mentor coach.  The first step in the process is for the coach to provide an overview of their strengths and weaknesses as a coach and then a mentor is chosen who can help develop their weaknesses.  Over at least a year, a series of converations, suggested professional development, partnership with other coaches; the coach will work to build on both their strengths and weaknesses.  Compared to the typical prescriptive method of coach education I think this is a big step forward and hope that it can be implemented successfully.

Shane

I think their philosophy has to mesh with yours. I'm getting a coach for next year and I already know who I want as it's someone I've worked with already through my tri club. We both are big believers in quality over quantity and doing strength training. Plus he's kind of a geek about the science behind the training and I love that stuff.I'm very excited about it and hoping we can work out the details, especially the $$$ part.