So this has potential to be a pretty huge discussion, but it's also worthwhile.
If coaching is the process of taking an athlete from where they are to where their potential can go, that gives us some areas to discuss....
1. How do you determine the athlete's current state? I know for me personally, this is pretty much just a questionairre right now because I train my guys online. But by contrast, I know in Landon's interview, he went through a pretty extensive list of evaluations they put an athlete through when they're determining his current state. Again, if you start working with a new athlete, what do you do to determine their current state? How important is this process?
2. What do you do with an athlete who loses motivation? Cut him? Hold his hand?
3. What do you do about an athlete who improvises with their program *too much*?
4. Other coaching considerations.... (Nick, maybe you want to chime in here?)
I'm interested in seeing what other people think...
-- Edited by Mike Tuchscherer at 13:53, 2008-10-28
And Landon, if you drop by here... Would you care to elaborate on the evaluation process you mentioned in your interview? If there's too many to go through (as far as what they are and what they test), then could you point me to a good resource? This is an area where my knowledge is lacking.
And Landon, if you drop by here... Would you care to elaborate on the evaluation process you mentioned in your interview? If there's too many to go through (as far as what they are and what they test), then could you point me to a good resource? This is an area where my knowledge is lacking.
Mike, could you ask specific questions about particular tests? If I had the time to outline everything I would, but that is not the case.
When you say coaching - I imagine you are talking about coaching athletes in a powerlifting capacity - am I correct? I have been the head coach of several lower level arena football teams and now I make a living from personal training and managing gyms - so evaluating talent/potential and physical ability apply to both but are also slightly different.
I think the more elite the athlete you are working with the more extensive your evaluation process should be - the higher the expectations from that athlete the more you need to know what their potential is (along with their limitations). Can you provide a link to Landon's interview (I think I read it but I am not sure)?
In terms of motivation - it is up to you as a coach/trainer to find those triggers or methods of motivating and what works for one does not always work for the other. Your enthusiam for even the most basic concepts (i.e. warming up) makes a big difference.
When I used to recruit an athlete or now when I do a consultation I try to learn as much about them as possible by leading them in conversations where they do most of the talking. I know right away if they are they are serious & determined or if they are just BSing (they want it but don't want to work for it). I've passed on players & clients alike because I didn't think they were committed. Now, in education & amatuer athletics you can't do that ha ha but interviewing is very important. Short term goals leading up to the long term goals is the key to keeping the eye on the prize.
2. What do you do with an athlete who loses motivation? Cut him? Hold his hand?
2. I think those two examples are extreme. You need to find why there has been a loss of motivation. Lack of progress, external commitments, physical issues etc etc. There maybe an underlying issue that once resolved, the athlete is back on track. You need to have a close enough relationship where valid information can be transfered. You have to give a platform where they can say..."look your program sucks" or "I just broke up with my girlfriend" at the drop of a hat.
3. What do you do about an athlete who improvises with their program *too much*?
3. I think this relates to #2. There is something underlying that is disrupting the communication. Do they have full faith in the program? I dont understand this though...by paying someone money, you are pretty much saying..."i dont know what I am doing, and I need guidance". Also, Your experience and competition level should be enough to persuade people to trust you guidance.
I have know coaches in the past who only Issue 1 week at a time of the program, so they dont look too far ahead and make too many changes.
Do you give your athletes much input into the programming? I find this helps with ownership and control.
Oh, these aren't for me so much as just a dialog to open up a broader discussion. Truth be told, I was prompted to start this thread by a friend of mine.
H haven't had too many of the problems we're discussing here. I'll chime in with my personal answers when I get a minute (I still am interested in hearing what others have to say).
I think you're right about ownership of the program. I try to give inputs to guys I work with. Things like template and exercise selection are highly variable, dependant on available equipment, personal preference to some degree, etc, so I try to make sure I include my guys in that process. I usually don't bother them too much with the stress/intensity programming because it's so artsy anyway, it just gets sloppy when too many people get involved.
But that's my 30 second explaination. I'll spend some more time on this soon.
Oh, these aren't for me so much as just a dialog to open up a broader discussion. Truth be told, I was prompted to start this thread by a friend of mine.
H haven't had too many of the problems we're discussing here. I'll chime in with my personal answers when I get a minute (I still am interested in hearing what others have to say).
I think you're right about ownership of the program. I try to give inputs to guys I work with. Things like template and exercise selection are highly variable, dependant on available equipment, personal preference to some degree, etc, so I try to make sure I include my guys in that process. I usually don't bother them too much with the stress/intensity programming because it's so artsy anyway, it just gets sloppy when too many people get involved.
But that's my 30 second explaination. I'll spend some more time on this soon.
Yes I was treating it as an open dialog. I am a coach myself, and I was just adding what has worked for me. I work with athletes face to face, so it may be a bit different online
Here is a problem that I am having and would like to know other's thoughts. How long do you wait to put a new lifter in gear? Now I know that this depends on alot of factors so I will describe a lifter I'm training right now. He's a 6'3" 198, decent squat form and a 315 raw 1 RM. His deadlift is pretty rounded. His bench isn't tight at all. Should I wait for his form to be perfect? I wouldn't even describe mine as perfect and I've been training in gear for years, but it has caused me some injuries until it improved. The thing that really causes me turmoil is that I know he could qualify with gear and it would make my team more competitive at nationals. I could see the reason to avoid putting him in a shirt but his form on squat isn't too bad, should I let him get a squat suit? His form looks good now, but heavier weight in the suit may change all that? I'd appreciate any thoughts you have on this matter
I'd go ahead with it. You'll just have to keep coaching him. Squat shouldn't be bad. Just tell him to keep the same form that he uses raw and you've got a great starting place. Bench can get better with time, too. Just spot closely. Also you might want to try reverse bands or even hanging weights to get him to tighten up on bench. If you hang weights, hang 1 or 2 tens from the bar with a mini band. It'll bounce around all over the place, but it might help him get tight. Also, just more practice will help him as well.
