What Makes You Think You Can Coach- Part 2

There is often the question of whether a great player will necessarily (and automatically) be a good coach. Maradonna has provided evidence that that is not a given. Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have and continue to argue that a great career as a player is not a prerequisite for a great coaching career. However, we cannot ignore the runaway successes of Pep Guardiola, Frank Rikjaard, Jurgen Klinsman and many others. At the end of the day, what matters is results.

But, concerned with youth sport as I am, the result-oriented approach is misguided, inappropriate and even dangerous. Many a poor coach have destroyed the dreams of young players whether it is by inappropriate practices which have led to injuries or simply discouragement that has turned players away from the game. For my part, the opportunity to compete in an environment in which I could have proven my worth and gone on to greater things was frustrated. Others have not been as lucky- unlucky?

CASE STUDY

Not long ago, I met an athlete 17 years of age. She's been playing basketball for a few years. Her love for the game is not left to question- she is officially in the off-season and is playing community basketball to stay in shape. Her regular season had ended poorly as it had the year before. They had played for 2 hours a day, five times a week, six if you counted the game on the weekend. Not seeing the results he wanted, the coach had requisitioned an additional before class session 2-3 times a week, for the players to put extra work towards their weak areas.

• Where was periodization? Is it possible that the ridiculous volume of work could be part of the problem?

What are your strategies/techniques for recovery? In typical teenage speak, she said, "I don't know. I just sleep or watch TV when I'm not going to school, or if I'm not working."

What are you eating before and after the game? "Does it matter that much? Like in the mornings, I don't eat anything because I'll be late for the session. Then I'll have a bagel or something like that. Generally, I eat whatever I feel like from the stuff we have at home."

What are your athletes eating?

She came in to see me because she wanted to lose a few pounds- she thought she was a little too slow. Also on her list of goals: increase endurance ad upper body strength. Other than a few ankle sprains here and there, and occasional aches in her hips, she had no major injuries to talk about. I proceeded with a basic movement screen to establish a baseline. Her scores were poor and I wasn't surprised. After doing the deep squat, she added as one of her goals she wanted to jump higher. Her knees collapsed as soon as she started her descent, but I thought explaining valgus to her would not be very productive. Instead, if I could ask her to jump, point it out, do some correctives, and then have her jump again, she could see and feel the difference.

(Image from fitnessgoop.com)

"I don't know how to jump. I've always been told I don't know how to jump but nobody has ever shown me how."

If a basketball coach is meeting his athletes 5 times a week, sometimes twice per day, and his forward can't jump, what is he coaching? Was this athlete lucky to have gone through several coaches, all of whom told her she can't jump but didn't show her how to? After all, she is still playing the game she loves. Or was she unlucky, for the same reason? After all, she is still playing the game she loves, whereas I walked away.

As a youth coach and personal trainer, my job, I believe is set the foundation so that my athletes can go on to collegiate and/or professional careers if they wish. Regressing to teach an athlete how to jump, or cutting down the number of sessions so that they rest adequately- these will give my athletes durability. This should not be sacrificed for a good win-loss record at the end of the season.

Ever had a bad coach? Tell me your story in the comments section below.

What Makes You Think You Can Coach?

As I reflect on my own experiences and those of others, I have to say I am disappointed. There is even a hint of anger, but I have a better hold of my emotions than that. I just can't help wondering though, what is it that makes some people think they can coach?

I remember trying out for the university soccer team. I even bought new cleats. We were allotted two hours to practice. With a good practice plan, clear objectives, tests and/assessments of some sort, by the end of the first session, the coach would know who's who and start to develop his roster. Mentally, I was prepared. On course to earn my bachelor's in Human Movement, I knew the science. Having completed a national level coaching course, I knew how to win the game from the side line, the dug-out and the locker room. More than just the weekend warrior when it came to actually playing, I was ready to go. After a brief intro, the man in charge blew his whistle start us off on a warm-up jog around the field.

                               

Perhaps I approached it with too much head knowledge, or maybe, that knowledge spared me from a season that would have been very frustrating. Seventy-five minutes after that first whistle, we were still running around the field. We had had more touches of the ball when we were messing around before practice had officially started. I couldn't find the coach anywhere. Until he came back, we were to keep running. The rest is an ugly blur in my mind, except for the questions that ravaged my mind then (and now).




Why were we running? Why is perhaps the most powerful question and the answer has the capacity to make or break the spirit. When personal training, I don't enter into any agreements with clients who do not have a definite why. Why do you want to lose weight? Why 15 pounds? Why? Why? Why? Why will energize you when you lose the drive to carry on? "When you are about to give up, remember why you started in the first place."
                     

Question. It's a good question. It also rarely gets asked. soshable.com (This caption was so good, I felt I should leave it as is.)

For my part, there was no justification for running around the field, seventy-five minutes later no less. My why would receive no satisfactory answer. You will never see anyone running around the field at a soccer match. What we were doing would have been more appropriate back in primary school when I ran cross country. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that soccer is an intermittent sport- stop and start. Sprint, jog, walk, sprint. Running at the same pace for over an hour does nothing for the aspiring soccer player. You can't even justify it with the old soccer players need a good heart or aerobic conditioning. Research shows that interval training has benefits for both aerobic and anaerobic capacities. I have already discussed these in this article here and this one as well. The evidence suggests different positions have different requirements for maximal performance. Surely you train them differently, holding them to different standards?

                     

Bottom line, this guy did not know what he was doing. I walked away sensing conflict between he and I. Of course, as the man in charge, in any confrontation I would always be on the losing end. His coaching style was nothing more than what his coach had made him do. That philosophy probably came from his coach's coach, and his before him. Coaching is an art- a mix of science, practice and some simple common sense. Common sense was not on the field that day- if you could somehow convince me why it was necessary for the outfield players to run like that, what would be the rationale for the goalkeeper running around the field for over an hour?