If I would be a coach, I would coach long distance runners. In my experience, most people I've met think that running is an individual sport, but in fact, running with others can have a positive impact on you. You want to proof to yourself and others what you are capable of and you don't give up that easily, which might make you run longer or faster than if you were running alone. The company of others also makes running more fun, someone to share the experience with. There might also be negative things, like that the ones you run with are not as fast as you (but they might have the energy to run longer than you), that's why I think, as a runner, you should vary your training with both individual and team training sessions.
There would be differences in my coaching techniques as I would want to coach my runners both individually and as a team. I think it's important to have the runners train together as they would get strength from each others and could motivate each other to run faster or longer, depending on what kind of work out session we would have. But it would also be important to train individually so that they could focus on their strengths as well as their "problem" areas.
As a coach that would train individuals I would have running programs for them to follow and have them report back to me how they feel, how it went and their opinions about the work out. Like a little training diary. I think it would also be important to write down and follow up on the progress, statistics and numbers are a fun way to motivate you to do better.
I think that the interactions between my runners and I are a very important. I would not want to be an over mighty leader who just tells the runners what to do without listening to them and their own ideas. It's also important to me to encourage my runners think for them self, and explain the reason I want them to do what they do, e.g. run back intervals. I want to keep my runners informed on running technics, what to eat and other ideas that could make a difference in their lives as runners.
It's important to see everybody on the team, not only those who are really good or those who struggle. The good thing in being a team is that you can learn from each other and get more support from a lot of different persons.
My goals as a long distance running coach would be to meet the expectations. As a runner you don't only compete with other runners, you also compete with yourself and want to improve your time. Though, for me winning is not everything, what I want is that my team will do the best they can and I want them to feel good about themselves and strong after they have finished a race and a training session.
I believe that motivation is a big part of coaching. I would try to find ways to motivate my runners, and not only by telling them to think of the end goal. Diversity is a big motivation, not doing the same work out day in and out, and not only for motivational purposes. You need to train your body in different ways to, to make it stronger. But diversity is more than just different ways to work out, it can also be location for the work out for example. When it comes to rewarding, saying when someone has done a good job is important, but also to reward in others way. E.g. have someone from the outside come and talk about running related topics, or new running t-shirts.
When it comes to training, I would expect everybody to participate, and if they don't they should have a good excuse for why they are not participating. I also think that if somebody got injured, they could still come to practice and learn things from their teammates and maybe see running from a different view. There is so much more to running (and other sports to) than just the exercise. When it comes to team discipline I would allow my runners to be late a few times and try to understand if they have a bad day, but if it would become a regular behavior for some of my runners i would definitively talk to them and make them understand why they are there and why training is important.
To build a strong and successful team of long distance runners I would also have team-work exercises where you as a team should solve problems and in that way you learn to trust each other and get to know each otter better. To feel included in a team is important for your growth as a runner, and one lesser problem to think about.
I guess I would try to be very understanding and not that hard on my team as in giving punishment or jell at them in front of other people, but I would expect a lot from my team, and I would not take any bullshit from my team. If they want to be good runners they should respect me and I will respect them, otherwise they should not be on my team. I also think that it is important to stick with your principles, and treat everybody on the team with the same respect and that all have to follow the rules, there should not be any exceptions.
Still, I feel that it is also important to remember that everybody is different, and that you have to keep that in mind when you interact with your team. I want my team to feel that I support them a hundred per cent, be there with them in practice, be aware of what happens outside practice and stand there on the finish line and share their excitement and happiness.
I would not be a coach because I want to fill my ego and feel better about myself, I would want to be there for my team as someone they can turn to when they need help and give them constructive feedback, make them feel good about themselves and be the best they can be. Here's where character comes in, it would be one of my goals to build good characters, and I would not allow cheating or anything similar on my team.
I guess my philosophy probably would change if I would ever get to become a coach for long distance runners, now it feels more like a lot of ideas, but how they would work in the reality is a total different thing, and hard to predict. But, as the book says, your coaching philosophy should always be a work in progress.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar