For those of you not
of my generation (long before everyone had a smartphone, and dinosaurs still
roamed the earth),
“It’s 10 pm – do you know where
your children are?”
was a popular question
on evening TV newscasts and apparently originated in 1967 during social unrest
in New York City.
They wanted to remind parents to keep their children off the streets in
supposedly dangerous times.
This can also be seen
as a reminder to parents to raise their children well, to teach them the
difference between right and wrong, to teach them to make responsible correct
decisions on their own. Because at some point in time, parents are not with
their kids 24/7! Wow – what a concept!
Believe it or not,
your athletes MAY NOT take your word for gospel, and do everything you say! Do
I need to repeat that? I doubt it, but yes, athletes, even high performance
athletes, do not always follow coaches’ instructions when left on their own.
I recently read a
short and excellent article from Stan “Rhino” Efferding, an IFBB Professional
Bodybuilder and World Record Powerlifter who is known as the “World’s Strongest
Bodybuilder”. You can read it here: http://npcnewsonline.com/powerbuilding-you-dont-grow-in-the-gym/63930/
This is a quote from
the article:
It’s never the training routine
that’s limiting growth, it’s always the recovery phase, eating and sleeping.
The vast majority of people who want to get bigger and stronger already train
hard enough to grow, they just don’t eat and sleep enough to grow.
I don’t have the exact
source of this gem from Eric Cressey, but he once wrote something to the effect
that the effects on your body of that awesome training program which you adhere
to for one hour a day are minimal compared to what you do during the other 23
hours of that day.
Some athletes have not
figured out these tenets of training and do not understand that recovery and
regeneration are at least as important if not more important than the training
they commit to. They have to understand and believe this, and then learn to
optimize their recovery and nutrition. We as coaches have to help athletes
understand this, so that they will actually apply the principles of optimal
recovery and nutrition. It is not enough to tell them what to do. Information
is critical, you have to teach them, you must give them instructions. But you
must convince them that these things are important, that these things will help
them reach their potential. If they believe in the instructions, and are
motivated, and truly committed, they will follow through if the instructions
are clear.
It was honestly a
shock for me as a young coach when I first realized that athletes did not
always do the programs I wrote for them. As a young athlete, with very little guidance
from my coaches on how to train on my own, when a coach gave me a program or
told me what to do at home, I did it. Maybe I was gullible or naïve, but I
figured that the coach knew what he was talking about, so I followed
instructions. And most of the time it worked.
I have to admit, I was
a pretty naïve kid, and most of the time I did what my parents, teachers, and
coaches told me. I was a smart ass at times, but I was raised in a strict
Christian home and believed that my actions were being monitored – if not by my
parents, then by higher powers. I am not going to get into a big religious or
philosophical discussion here, but I basically did what I was taught to be
“right” as a young kid and athlete (I rebelled later).
The problem for me later
as a young coach was that I assumed that if I told an athlete something, they
would naturally do it. Good parents KNOW that children will not automatically
do everything they are told. They know the awful and wonderful responsibility
they have been given – to raise a child to become a man or woman who can think
on their own and make the right moves.
It takes time to
develop a relationship with an athlete, and at some point the athlete has to
trust you and respect you enough to do what you tell them to, not only when you
are at the training session, but also when they are on their own.
You may need checks
and balances to see of they are following through. Do they keep a logbook? Do
they track their meals? Are they getting the sleep they need? It is a long
process to bring an athlete along and teach them to be responsible for
themselves.
Sure, an adult athlete who has been around for a while should know
these things and do them. But if you start to work with a new athlete, do not
assume that they do everything they should when you are not around. If you do,
you are a fool. Some athletes are lazy, but many just really don’t know what is
important.
But don’t play Orwell’s
Big Brother. Teach them to take responsibility!
We test elite athletes
in our lab, and I wish I had a nickel for every time I have heard two athletes
discussing the drive back home (anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours) and that
they need to stop off at McDonalds because they are starving.
It is an education
process, and developing trust between you and your athletes is key.
One of my favorite
athletes to coach was Glenroy Gilbert. I only spent one bobsleigh season with
Glenroy, but he left a lasting impression on me. He also introduced me to his
sprint coach at that time, Dan Pfaff. I never actually met Dan. Glenroy was
a NCAA champion and all-American at that time so I knew he was an excellent
sprinter (after that bobsleigh season in 1994 he went on to win 2 world
championships and an Olympic gold in the 4 x 100m relay, and an individual 100m
gold at the Pan Am Games).
I came to have enormous respect for Dan, not only from
the stories Glenroy told about his coach, but more by observing Glenroy’s
discipline and attitude about training. My favorite story of Glen’s was about
his very first three training sessions with Dan as his new coach. Dan sent him
home TWICE because as Glen came to the track his body language and attitude
said that he did not really want to train. Dan finally let him train on the
third day. Dan disciplined him, educated him and Glenroy learned. Glenroy is now
himself a successful coach with Canada’s national sprint team.
Here is another
anecdote about coaches, athletes and programs. A well-known coach was unhappy
with a national team athlete because this particular athlete was not following
the prescribed training program. The coach told the national team authorities,
making it clear that if this athlete was not successful, it was not the coach’s
fault. As it turned out, the athlete won an Olympic gold that season, and the
coach took credit for preparing this athlete for the gold medal. Interesting.
Technically, the coach was correct, but the athlete did not follow the program.
If you have experience
as a coach, it hopefully will not surprise you that athletes are like kids and
it is sometimes a difficult process to teach an athlete to be responsible, to
take control of his/her career and do EVERYTHING he or she needs to do to be
their best.
Not too long ago an
athlete I work with took an energy drink (high in sugar with no protein) after a strength-training workout and I
asked where their post workout drink was. They did not have the drink with
them, and explained that too much protein at that moment in time was not good
because they were trying to make weight, and would eat pasta when they got
home. Clearly I have work to do here. Yes, we have discussed nutrition in the
past but more work is needed.
I can help this
athlete learn about post workout nutrition and its role in recovery. More
importantly I will find a way to show them that proper nutrition will improve
their chances of winning.
Sometimes coaches will
stop working with an athlete if the athlete does not follow instructions. This
is often the best policy, but there are situations where a coach is under
contract to a team or federation and must work with that athlete.
Strategies need to be
found to help the athlete mature and be responsible, to follow advice. Gain the
respect and trust of your athlete. And be sure that your information is good!
At some point in time
when you are asked where your athlete is, you can just smile and give the same
answer Homer Simpson gave when the newscaster asked him if he knew where his kids were:
Appreciate the comments about recovery and it's importance. When an athlete has a sound imagination for success they usually do, this has been my experience. Understanding performance of intention and action is key to the success of the athlete and this understanding comes for an acute awareness of what needs to be done. As you mention, "being monitored, from a higher power" is to know our self well and our connection to spirituality (as well as our emotions, intellect and physical ability). I appreciate this blog Carson, it provokes thought, thank you.
ReplyDeleteMarty, your comments are interesting and get me thinking as well. I believe that for many of us "knowing ourselves" is very under appreciated and misunderstood.
Deletevery useful really good information thanks for posting such a good information it will hepls the people a lot keep it up , Regards, obiee training in hyderabad
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback!
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