Joel Filliol has started his own podcast.
Aptly entitled Real Coaching, the show is basically an informal chat, the first episode being with fellow high performance triathlon coach Paulo Sousa. Being a listener to several podcasts, I find that shows with a loose and free conversational format appeal the most. The hosts are more relaxed compared to a rigid Q&A template, which more than often results in true depth and insight into the discussion.
While specific to the sport of triathlon, Filliol's maiden show certainly fits this bill, with some true gems as far as elite sports coaching goes. Together with Sousa, the unassuming Canadian passively disparages the notion of online "instruction" where cookie-cutter training programs are doled out for a set price to the masses. True coaching favours a more hands-on approach, where the coach guides the athlete in person, being on hand to make adjustments and, above all, to observe. And in any high performance environment, this firsthand presence and application is critical to success.
Can you imagine the Springboks being instructed by a virtual head coach? Just like Usain Bolt receiving his daily routine via email, such a situation is unfathomable. Coaches are there for a reason, often more for moral support than actual instruction. In a sporting sense, the term coach is defined as a person who trains or directs athletes or teams. Sure, there are times where an athlete or player needs to think for themselves and make their own decisions but actual coaching is often confused with consulting or advising.
Giving counsel and advice are markedly different roles and are perhaps terms that best describe the online "coaching" market that prevails in endurance sports today. Even then, blindly following a prescribed template is not necessarily the best recipe for long term progression. But neither is being too "hands-on," where spoon-feeding and hand-holding can be of detriment to both coach and athlete.
I suppose they are adults aren't they, mused one high performance coach when I commented on one champion female athlete's highly independent nature. Different personalities call for different coaches and coaching styles, where no one instructor can meet the needs of all athletes across the spectrum. Different coaching styles gel with certain personalities, where some respond well to the drill-sergeant mentality while others connect better with reservation and passiveness. Some high performance coaches are also perfect for a specific time in athlete's life.
Ben Bright recounted how he experienced two different coaching styles and personalities at different times in his own triathlon career. He reveled in the structure and discipline of the Brett Sutton camp as a youngster while his latter years responded better to the more passive approach of John Hellemans. Both coaches were equally successful in getting the best our of Bright, who is now Head Coach of the British Triathlon Olympic Program.
Yet what are the typical characteristics of these men and women whose vocation is to guide others to athletic success? How do they get this point and what are their motivations? While no two coaches are the same, the individuals that I've had the privilege of meeting do share some common characteristics, namely:
- they are unassuming and caring.
- they eschew the limelight, favouring the background and letting their athletes take centre stage.
- they are well-travelled and interesting
- some were top athletes themselves, but tend not to recount their athletic careers or the "good old days."
- they are super-resourceful and adaptable.
Most of the guys and girls slowly worked their up through the coaching ranks into their current positions. Like anything in life, a long and focussed journey is required before reaching the next level. Take Kate Roberts for example. Self-funding two consecutive Olympic campaigns, the Bloemfontein-native is applying her years of experience on the race course into the practice of nurturing junior athletes to realise their own dreams. Not exactly easy or straightforward, but the start of her own coaching journey has been literally from the ground up.
On the other end of the spectrum, another such individual that I've had the pleasure of working with recounted his own transition from professional athlete to his current occupations of federation coach, university lecturer and private age-group coaching consultant. His own coaching journey began teaching junior swimming and helping out some local athletes in his home village.
Life is good he says in his distinctive laid back manner, going on to add that there is always something going on. It just took two decades to get there!
And with that in mind, it goes to say that Filliol and Sousa do a great job in recounting their own journeys in a candid and informal way. Kudos for them to start such a insightful and much needed platform to educate the masses on what it really takes to instruct at the highest level.
After all, if it was easy, then everybody would be doing it.
