Gym Momentum

Coaching Philosophy

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As I was checking some blogs that I follow and contemplated writing a new post on the Philosophy of Gymnastics I stumbled across Vern Gambetta’s Functional Path Training Blog. I certainly do NOT agree with everything he has to say although I do respect his opinion. Even things that I really disagree with at least give me food for though.

#1- He is a much smarter person than me.

#2- His ability to take a complex topic and put it into words is a gift.

#3- You should follow him. FUNCTIONAL PATH TRAINING

COACHING PHILOSOPHY

Vern Gambetta

In preparation for my presentation at the Global Coaching House in London next weekhttp://www.globalcoacheshouse.net/ I have been giving a lot of thought to coaching philosophy and its implications for policy and practice. A coaching philosophy is the coaches guiding light. It is the cornerstone upon which everything else is built. Without a sound well thought out philosophy you will not be effective as a coach. The philosophy consists of certain foundational beliefs that you will never compromise. They are absolute and should never change.

My philosophy is governed by the following quote from George Bernard Shaw: ” Some people see things the way they are and ask why?  Others see things the way they should be, and ask Why not?” The pursuit of excellence has it’s own rewards. I am the coach of people not sports. Coaching sports is easy, that is the X’s and O’s. Coaching people is more complex; it demands understanding of what makes each athlete tick.

Know why you coach? Know why your athletes participate. Know your coaching style, that is the means of implementing your philosophy. The cornerstone of any effective coaching style is communication.

Coaching = Leadership & Communication

Harry Truman said that leadership is: “The ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it.”

Genuine leaders have

  • an intuition and ability to visualize the big picture.
  • They think long term.
  • They grasp the relationship of larger realities,
  • have political skills,
  • cause change,
  • affirm values,
  • and achieve unity.

MY SUMMARY-

– Coach the kid, Not the sport

 

Just Enough

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Once again I find myself reading Cern Gambetta’s Blog on Functional Path Training.  Although I do Not agree with everything he has to say. I did enjoy this one. I reminded me of John Geddert’s analogy of each gymnast being a race car. You must give them enough good fuel to finish the race and you can NOT run them at 100%, 100% of the time. 

Just Enough

We are three days away from the culmination of four years of preparation for the Olympic games. I was reflecting on the final phases of preparation – what needs to be done to put the finishing touches on the training? It can be summed up in a quite succinctly – just enough! Do just enough work to allow the years of preparation to be applied. In the final phase of training what isn’t done may be more important that what is done. That last hard workout is in most cases not necessary, do just enough to get tired, calm the nerves and fine tune. Now is the time to reap the harvest of the hard work from the career buildup. Seldom if ever can anything be done in the final preparation stages that will directly impact performance in a positive manner. Be confident in your preparation and focus on competing. This is where the art of coaching is most important.

Reflections on Coaching

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After a great couple of weeks at Gym Momentum Camp it is good to be back and able to do some writing. GM Camp gave me the ability to share my knowledge with some great gymnasts and coaches as well as pick up some amazing drills. It has given me time to reflect on the entire field of coaching.

One of the bloggers I follow is Vern Gambetta. He has a great amount of knowledge collected on his site Functional Path Training. Take a minute and check out his site.  This post is inspired by one of his.

Reflections on Being a Coach

After camp I had a chance to really think about being a coach and the process of continual self-improvement. It has made me realize how fortunate I am to be a coach. Here are some of my reflections on what it means to be a coach:

  • Being a coach is special. It is an incredible opportunity to change people’s lives.
  • Being a coach implies responsibility. It is a responsibility to be at your very best and to realize that sometimes that is not good enough.
  • Coaching is a partnership with the athlete, it not something you do TO the athlete it is some you do WITH them.
  • Certainly everyday you coach is an adventure; it is an adventure in exploring possibilities and potential. Treat it as such and enjoy the process. I always tell coaches to enjoy the JOURNEY because there is no destination.
  • Coaching is exploring and exploiting your strengths and recognizing your weaknesses.
  • Coaching is constantly honing your communication skills because communication is the key to effective coaching.  Cultivate your listening skills. Remember you have two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a reason.
  • Technical knowledge is a given to be a good coach. It is important to stay current and constantly experiment and prototype. If you don’t the world will quickly pass you by. There is no such thing as staying the same. You are either getting better or worse.
  • Be yourself. Be consistent.
  • Have a plan, execute the plan and then evaluate it.
  • Know what you know and what you don’t know. Surround yourself with people who know what you don’t know.
  • Specialize in being a generalist. If you are specialist have a generalist’s attitude.
  • Network – you can’t do it alone.
  • Get past the score and competition result, everyone can’t win, but everyone can do their best.
  • Coach the way you would like to be coached. Show respect in order to get respect.
  • Be flexible without compromising your core beliefs in terms of behavior standards and beliefs about training.
  • Be humble and honest. You need help from others to be the best, acknowledge others and seek their help.
  • Recognize that natural ability is a gift and not a sign of superior achievement.
  • Learn to sense the intangibles – they are there so be aware.
  • Lead by example – Actions can speak louder than words. Do you want hard working gymnasts? Work hard. Do you want committed gymnasts? Be committed. Do you want enthusiastic gymnasts? Be enthusiastic.
  • Beware of recycling – hit the refresh button occasionally.
  • Practice Kaizen – Everyday get better at some aspect of what you do, seek continuous improvement.
  • Be Patient – Recognize that performance and achievement take time. It is a process with small steps that lead to big gains.

If is to be it up to you – the buck stops with you! You are the Captain of the ship, you chart the course and steer the ship.

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