General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Coaches - What's your philosophy? Rss Feed  
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2016-02-19 2:21 PM
in reply to: AdventureBear

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Elite
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Romeoville, Il
Subject: RE: Coaches - What's your philosophy?
Good question Adventurebear!!!

I personally think that a lot of what people see as a philosophy is purely marketing. A nailed down "hook" is just that.

A true coaching philosophy is not one size fits all. It includes adaptability. I would break it down into two parts...

Part 1 is my responsibility to the athlete. And that includes
-Me, as coach, has to recognize...
1. What the athlete wants and expects
2. What motivates the athlete
3. How much direction is required for the individual athlete vs how much empowerment
4 What methods of direction, what structure of training, and what types of motivation produces the best results

Part 2 is for the athletes success, my philosophy for their results was written in 5 Keys to Success article here on BT.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=...


2016-02-19 3:26 PM
in reply to: AdventureBear

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1502
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Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: Coaches - What's your philosophy?
Originally posted by AdventureBear

Originally posted by 3mar

Originally posted by AdventureBear

if you're in Vegas at a Triathlon conference and the athlete of your dreams happens to be riding in elevator with you and asks, "What's your coaching philosophy?" What would you say?



One thing I didn't see discussed, which is probably the most important thing is; what is your dream athlete? LB made the assumption it was the super uber elite...and that is probably a safe bet, but I didn't see you state that. Do you want to take the diamond in the rough and make the next Kona winner? Or do you want to take a competitive AGer and make them a KQ? For the 4 things you listed, I wouldn't imagine you would even mention them to these types. Those are givens for someone who has been in the sport enough to get competitive. I'd focus on bigger things that differentiate you from other coaches.

Now, if you derive the most satisfaction from turning someone who finishes an IM in 16:59 to someone who does it in 14:00, or getting someone off the couch and guiding them through the process and explaining what the heck your numbers 1-4 mean then that is a different elevator speech.

So the question is...what is your dream athlete?



This is helpful. I've always had trouble identifying my ideal athlete, although the ones I've helped get to Kona are/were a lot of fun to coach, they respected my advice, followed the plan and provided data and feedback. other athletes...not so much. They are interested and want to improve (and do improve) but there's a big difference in my satisfaction working with the 16 hr to 14 hour athlete as opposed to the 11 hour to 9.5 hour type.


Maybe it would be beneficial to ask the athletes instead of the coaches. BT is certainly full of athletes from 9 hr finishers up to 17. Ask them what sort of philosophy, or elevator speech would work for them. What differentiates one coach from the next, etc.

For me personally, I don't currently have a coach. I've made an agreement with my wife that until I stop seeing gains, then I will continue to self-coach. When I hit a wall, that is when I'm going to invest. I spend a lot on this sport, so that's where the line has been drawn. That being said, I would be looking for someone that would be in tune with the data (obviously) and that would have clear communication, on not just what workouts to do, but what those workout's goal or purpose is, then analyze the results. The biggest thing for me though, would be a coach that would allow me to push. I realize that recovery is important, but I enjoy the training and don't like stopping, so I'd want a coach that would allow me to push it into the red a lot. I love pushing the limit (and love to complain about it). But that's just me. I'm sure if you polled other athletes on here you would get a lot of different answers, so that'd be my recommendation. A little voice of the customer action for all those who like business speak.
2016-02-19 3:40 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Coach
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Stairway to Seven
Subject: RE: Coaches - What's your philosophy?
Originally posted by 3mar


Maybe it would be beneficial to ask the athletes instead of the coaches. BT is certainly full of athletes from 9 hr finishers up to 17. Ask them what sort of philosophy, or elevator speech would work for them. What differentiates one coach from the next, etc.

For me personally, I don't currently have a coach. I've made an agreement with my wife that until I stop seeing gains, then I will continue to self-coach. When I hit a wall, that is when I'm going to invest. I spend a lot on this sport, so that's where the line has been drawn. That being said, I would be looking for someone that would be in tune with the data (obviously) and that would have clear communication, on not just what workouts to do, but what those workout's goal or purpose is, then analyze the results. The biggest thing for me though, would be a coach that would allow me to push. I realize that recovery is important, but I enjoy the training and don't like stopping, so I'd want a coach that would allow me to push it into the red a lot. I love pushing the limit (and love to complain about it). But that's just me. I'm sure if you polled other athletes on here you would get a lot of different answers, so that'd be my recommendation. A little voice of the customer action for all those who like business speak.



Yeah, that's another ingredient for speed success...an athlete that wants to push and somehow enjoys suffering, yet is willing ot take my recommendations on rest. The balance is key. athletes that don't listen or don't want to push...or a caoch that is offended that an athlete wants to "go beyond" don't make a good team. My fastest athletes push my boundaries as a coach to question myself, "Is this really OK?" They teach me new things, adn communication is open.
2016-02-22 10:10 PM
in reply to: #5167776

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Veteran
720
500100100
Aurora, Illinois
Subject: RE: Coaches - What's your philosophy?
It took me years to figure out my coaching philosophy and target athlete; but one day it just clicked a day came to me and became the motto of my coaching business.

"Inspiring lives, one race at a time".

I can go into how I like data, power meters are great, weight lifting is awesome for everyone, etc etc, but as many people have said it here already; each athlete is an individual and has unique backgrounds and needs so what I like doesn't matter as much! What I know, and continue to learn to be able to teach athletes of all abilities is what matters.

If I can teach them enough to get them inspired when they finish a race (due to a 1st time finisher medal, a PR or a Boston or Kona qualify ) then I've done my job!
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