How to Select the Perfect Coach for You (Part 2 of 3)
A coach-athlete relationship is critical in that your coach now and then reflects pieces of yourself back at you. You need to feel comfortable within that intimate process. I’ve worked with many adults who have been scarred for life from bad youth coaching experiences. They were not able to realize in adulthood that the inappropriate comments made to them as children were the coach’s interpretation of them and not necessarily reality. So they carried the scars with them through their adult athletic life, or worse, didn’t have an adult athletic life.
Endurance sports are a lifestyle that brings joy and pleasure to people’s lives in so many ways. Hiring a coach should in no way end that feeling you have for your sport. Your coach should enhance your training process by challenging you to bring even more of yourself to your sport—in a caring, human way.
Yet in this age of virtual coaching and dime-a-dozen certifications handed out to fitness professionals, selecting a coach can be as challenging as financing a home in the San Francisco Bay area. When considering acquiring a coach, it is first helpful to address what you want out of your coaching relationship.
* What are your goals for your sport and what do you wish to learn from your coach?
* Is there any ancillary training knowledge you wish to gain from this person?
* How involved do you want your coach to be in your training, your everyday life? Do you only want a guided training program or additional hands-on or phone time with your coach?
* How are you best motivated by others?
* What personality style do you think would work for you? Write down qualities in a coach that would be favorable to you.
* What is the background of the coach (race experience, education, etc.)?
* Has the coach participated extensively in the sport in which you are to be coached? Is this important to you?
* Are you interested in working with someone new to coaching or do you want your coach to have more time in the sport?
* What level of athletes has he worked with? Having worked with elite athletes doesn’t necessarily make someone a solid coach. Many coaches who prefer to work solely with elites have poor people skills in coaching middle- to back-of-the-pack athletes. Coaching athletes of different ability levels requires a variety of skills because the mindset of each is unique.
* What is your budget? There are many inexpensive generic training programs you can purchase on the internet, but they will be just that—a generic training program. If you desire a customized program and human interaction, you’ll have to pay a bit more.
With your answers to the above in mind, research available coaches and interview those who appear to fit the bill. Be proactive in the interview process, and use the above questions to guide you.
Next week I’ll present some important additional qualities I believe your coach should embody. Stay Tuned!
