WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A COACH
The methods & procedures for a fool-proof style of coaching number as many as the coaches that are out there trying to promote “their” way is the best method. There are of the belief that pure quality is the only way—which may cause problems when trying to prepare for high level long distance racing. There are those of the “more is more” thought process. There are coaches that have gone through indoctrination of published writings with such references of “Biblical” wisdom attached to their style of training athletes. Alas, we must not forget the fly by the seat-of-the-pants programs that are randomly and rather unscientifically pieced together either by the athlete or non-coaches (training planners). As an athlete, how do you sort through all of this to find the best coach for you?
First and more important than anything is how well you get along with your prospective coach? If you don’t like them you certainly won’t be willing to communicate with them…which is the primary driver in the coach’s quiver to generate a program that will not stall you out or make you race poorly. Next, what level of service is it you want and what can you afford? Is it necessary to have local hands on coaching or will an online program work for you? What experience does your coach have—and will it be a great enough resource to tap into in order for you to succeed in your primary goals? What are the restrictions/benefits with working with a coach—for example: are you “trapped” by having to wear their team uniforms? Do they have good discounts and regular access to the coach/communication? These are just the tip of the iceberg of questions to ask.
There are plenty of credentials to look for in coaches such as certifications by USAT, USA Cycling, ACSM, Swimming, etc. Although many of these are basic certifications, even at the higher coaching levels, it is more important that a coach knows how to use their knowledge and experience rather than rely on a certification to “get them by” with clients. Basic physiology, use of power, nutrition, periodization and the ability to communicate this understanding is vital in the makeup of a good coach. The same goes for the countless pro athletes posing as coaches, who rely on their name or race results to claim themselves as excellent coaches. Just because there is a pro athlete, for example, who may be at the top of the sport, doesn’t mean he/she knows much of anything about the world of coaching another athlete to success. Many pro athletes “supplement” their survival through coaching but end up training athletes just as they would train themselves, which usually ends up in burning out their clients.
Aside from these points mentioned, there is the other side to the coach/athlete relationship. Many athletes who have approached me for coaching have been quite motivated at first meeting, then fall off the pumpkin wagon after a few months. Either they do not fill out their training logs (read as: they stop communicating), or they expect to see rapid results after only a couple months when they in fact were so out of shape when they came to me, the first few months were just trying to establish consistency and base endurance. Benchmarks can show improvement in a short amount of time but major breakthrough will take possibly months or perhaps longer depending on what is considered a breakthrough to the athlete/coach. Others become financially stressed and bail from the program because they decide or are convinced they could coach themselves for free just as well (maybe they could, as we don’t know their knowledge level of themselves and training). Others just eventually lose confidence and let their dreams fade away. The best coach in the world will be rendered useless if the athlete does not do the work and believe in the program and ability of the coach, and more importantly—themselves. I sort of remember a quote which sums this up:”As it turns out, what you have is less important than what you do with it...” Bernd Heinrich
I have had the honor to be coach to All-Americans in the sport of triathlon, bringing others to their ultimate goal of finishing an Ironman (including Hawaii Ironman World Championships), and others to personal bests. I do not have the best method for every athlete to succeed. For some athletes I would be a horrible coach while for others there are no others who could begin to fill the shoes of being their coach. It is a personal relationship that sometimes takes experimenting, but unfortunately there lay the risk. It takes time to change coaches, learning about each other with someone else, what they have to offer and for the other side—what you have to offer them as an athlete. Some athletes just “don’t have it” and have to be let go as a client, while others have to let you go for whatever personal reasons (financial, confidence, injury, etc.) I have personally had to “fire” athletes just because they did not do the work or communicate properly to proceed with their program. This is not fun for a coach to do, because they come to you for support initially. However, it is like a one-sided marriage, you cannot keep the relationship going if one party just isn’t interested enough to make it work.
From a professional standpoint, it takes six months of working together to fully feel out exactly how to click together and move forward enough to see some solid measurable improvement in all areas. Athletes may respond to more rest than they had training on their own, or may respond better to higher mileage, or less mileage but more intensity. We all respond to technique improvement, but everything mentioned here takes considerable time for the physiological adaptations to occur. Throw in an athlete’s family, job, social & religious lives into the mix and you have a steep learning curve to create that perfect plan for an athlete that maintains a healthy, balanced and low stress lifestyle. There are many things to consider, as the best athletes do not necessarily mean they are the best coaches, while the best coaches are not necessarily those with the highest education degree or certification levels from somewhere. Applying the knowledge and having excellent rapport with an athlete, is the key to the coach/athlete relationship.
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