Coaches - What's your philosophy?

While I'm not any kind of certified coach, I did help coach a kids triathlon team over a couple years (and left over issues with the head coach that only peripherally involved coaching practices). Most coaches are all into the numbers -- power, splits, etc. My approach was completely different. While I did track workouts with them, and kept track of splits, I didn't tell them what their splits were at the practice, only a qualitative broad-brush.

I told them up front I was not a numbers guy, because when the starting gun goes off, races are won or lost in the heart and in the head, and that is where I concentrated my coaching -- getting them mentally and emotionally ready to race. They were racing super-sprints, so any hesitation, any moment of self-doubt could be the deciding factor. We had several kids that went to nationals. I'd like to think that I helped that happen in some small way.

I would say that I don't have a pre-defined coaching philosophy because each athlete is an individual.  Which probably best describes my coaching philosophy.

There are prerequisites that any coach must meet in order to truly be considered a coach - knowledge of physiology, psychology, nutrition, etc.  In order to apply that knowledge in the context of a coaching relationship, a coach must be a communicator, an educator, a motivator, a consoler, a planner, and a leader - to name a couple of required skills.  Athletic experience is helpful to provide common ground and an understanding of what long term training and competition actually feels like.  However, I realized some time ago that NONE of those things will make for a good coach.  Any coach can write a "X" week triathlon training plan and any athlete can take that plan, follow it, and likely complete the race for which they trained.  Will that athlete have achieved their maximum potential following that generic pre-written plan?  Most likely not.

For me. coaching comes down to just a few guiding principles:

• Each athlete is an individual
• Training is useless if the athlete is sick or injured
• Listen to the athlete and what the athlete's training is telling you
• The athlete and the coach must be in agreement on goals

Weighing each coaching decision against those principles allows me to focus my knowledge, skills and experience into the art of coaching.  I sometimes don't know what workout the athletes I work with are going to be doing tomorrow, let alone next week - because I don't follow a pre-written plan.  Sure, we have an outline with loosely written workouts.  We know on this day there will be a swim and a run, or on that day there will be a ride, a strength session, and a run.  But what tomorrow's workout might consist of will largely be determined by the results of today's workout, or the sum total of this week's workouts.  There are far too many unhealthy, very fit athletes who are one illness or injury away from the end of their athletic career.  Knowing each athlete as an individual, understanding their life situation and the stressors that may bring, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, and closely following workout data works together to customize a plan that works best for THAT athlete and brings them to the starting line, fully prepared, healthy, and focused on achieving excellence.

So, I don't really have an all encompassing coaching philosophy other than to say that each athlete is an individual.

Are you trying to put together an elevator pitch or value prop for lack of a better term?  Something to demonstrate your particular skill set in coaching?

Since coaching is Adventure Bears business we can break it down into the sales side of the model.  Referring to what the previous posters commented a business coach would most likely tell her she needs to find her niche or target market to be successful on the prospecting side.  The elevator pitch needs to be specific and short but deliver the message of what sets her apart from other coaches.  If she says I work with any athlete and my clients represent a wide range of performances most business coaches would say, yawn you no different from anyone else.  If she says my coaching philosophy is X and my approach is Y then it could seem she pigeon holes all her athletes into the same model.   IMO someone in Adventure Bears position should have two or three of these pitches in her bag.  One geared toward FOP / pro athletes,  one geared toward the MOP gang and one geared toward swimming (TI).  I'm taking a guess here based off your posts I have read.   The key for AB to have a good open ended question to ask these people in order to figure out what segment she is speaking with.  She should have the hook to get them interested in her and then she can explain why her philosophy or model can work for that specific athlete.  That could be part of a later discovery conversation with the prospect which gives her more insight into what that particular persons needs and goals are. 

Not an expert but I have worked with a few business coaches over the years.

Your best bet is to find good athletes.  It's what makes good coaches look like great coaches.

Originally posted by AdventureBear

Originally posted by Left Brain

Your best bet is to find good athletes.  It's what makes good coaches look like great coaches.

I know how that goes.

I know you know.....good coaches do. You can dress a pig in silk, as they say, but it's still a pig.  The greatest coaches in any sport have one thing in common besides their knowledge of their sport (which is actually quite common among coaches and non-coaches alike)......they have the ability to RECOGNIZE, recruit, and attract really good athletes....and recognition of talent is paramount.

If you really want to increase your resume......you have to find those freaks....otherwise, you will always be as common as your clients.  I don't mean that as mean spirited as it sounds, but the bottom line is very simple.....athletes of very high caliber are born.  A coach can bring it out and develop it......but you can NEVER create it....you simply have to find it.

Lots of good posts here.

A good coach, gets you ready to race on race day healthy and ready be your best and to know your body. He can also help weed out the useless data and training as there are lots marketed towards triathletes.  Although some is valuable, but if a coach is overly concerned with data and not the art of listening to the athlete and how they feel during the sessions, I would be concerned.  A good coach can explain something in a way that you get can it with only a few words. Concise and to the point. What is stopping most athletes is the stuff between the inability to "bear down".  Everyone is different so individual physiologic and personality characteristics must be considered. A primarily fast twitch person will need different training than a person with primarily slow twitch training for long course races.  Dealing with a super confident athlete is different than dealing with someone who is a afraid to do an open water swim.  There is NO one size fits all philosophy that a coach can come up with, there are some general principles of course. The coach must be adaptable to the athlete.  

Not always.......it depends on the athlete's stated goals.  Quite often the athlete needs to get with the program he said he wanted, or find another coach.  And sure, sometimes there needs to be a restructuring or "adaptation" once they know each other.  But I've seen plenty of athletes who don't actually DO the work that has been prescribed......and then blame a coach.

I agree with you there. Maybe a good coach and the athlete didn't listen and added more volume or a few more intervals gets hurt or simply didn't do the work and doesn't come close expectations.  Also, maybe just not a good coaching match. Not every coach-athlete relationship will work out. A coach can be stuck in their own way of thinking or the athlete simply isn't  ready to be coachable, so of course there is some more to it.