Musings of a Long-distance coach
Last night I put my head down in Oklahoma. I have my club team here for a late season event. I am away from most of my home team athletes, however there is one athlete that my Oklahoma adventure does not impact since we are apart most of the year. She is a member of the Canadian National Team and therefore training at the National Team Centre. She is, the one away, making her life and chasing her dreams far from family and her personal coach. With this athlete, my role has changed, with the distance I take on the role of consultant and someone she can rely on to call when needed. A coach plays the role that is needed, when needed.
I am sleeping in the home of one of the Oklahoma club members. They are fantastic! I rarely remember my dreams… Most mornings I awake with no recollection of my dreams, I am sure my mind is active and I hope my thoughts are happy and perhaps even productive. However, for the most part, any memory of these is lost to the night. This morning was different, this morning was one of those days I awoke still in the middle of my thoughts, I was problem-solving. The previous day I received a call from my athlete training as part of the national team. Although I communicate by text regularly and normally once a week by phone, I knew as soon as I saw her name on my phone something was up to warrant voice call in the middle of the day. She was frustrated and struggling with the demands on her time. She needed to talk it through and gain back as the sense of control.
It is Autumn and early in the general preparation phase that’s typically comprised of increasing longer aerobic sessions and the foundations of strength. It’s also early in the school year which brings much of the same, higher and higher volume of study time. Living away from home, grocery shopping and the extensive meal preparation routine to support all the training all add to the demand. After all, everything takes time and to do anything at a high level takes that much more. Putting a National team training plan and a university education together make for a sizable time-management and stress-management challenge.
Not long ago I sat with her national team coach, who had recently been assigned to this particular group. With us, was his strength and condition specialist and joining us by phone the athlete’s long-time mental skills consultant and her nutritionist. The goal was to start the new season by introducing the coach to the athletes existing support team and share individual assessments from the experience we had built up with the athlete. Perhaps we could think of it as an unstructured SWoT analysis to help the new coach get to know her a bit more.
A year earlier, I had a similar meeting but then without the coach, the National team did not have a coach assigned to this group over the past year. At both meetings, I wrote on the conference room whiteboard three Key requirements for the athlete’s success. They were in the order of importance: Smiles, Strength, Technique.
A little over a year and a half ago the athlete had nearly left the sport due to stress and an unhappy training environment. I made sure the coach knew this and stressed the importance of the athlete’s ability to smile and enjoy the sport. She loves to work hard and generally does well to rationalize the demands of training. However, when things are uncertain and the path forward is not clear or successful, the joy fades quickly. When the smiles fade the long-term prospects of this athlete reaching her potential fade as well. Strength and technical skills (allowing quickness) were next on the list, however, without taking care of the smiles, other elements would never be fully developed if the joy was lost.
I suggested two things. The 1st was to enhance her time management strategies and skills to make more of the time she now has. “The training centre has recourses you can access, that is why we think the national centre is the best place for you and why you are there, right? Maybe you should reach out and have a conversation to see if someone there can help you”. After years in the sport I have developed relationships with truly remarkable people working in all areas of athletic support. If it meant calling in some favours to get one to join her team I am ready. However, first step is to access someone in the centre where she trains.
I believe strongly, the chances of an athlete reaching his or her full potential relies on a full support team of experts working ‘as a team’. This is the reason the athlete is where she is now, at a National Training Centre, where she can have a professional, well managed and high performing support network. Over the career of this athlete we took care to build ‘her’ support team of people who know her well, her history, her personality and performance ability. This is key, my elevator version of this goes something like:
“If Canada has THE BEST functioning support team of coaches and IST’s, creating a high-level training environment, our athletes will reach their potential more often than countries who don’t do this as well”.
The 2nd was to take some items off her plate. “If you simply cannot manage the demands you have, maybe you will need to lower them”. If you are not in a position to lower your academic load, can you change your training load while still meeting your goals”? If so, it would certainly not be by cutting training in the areas needing the most improvement. We know one area where she naturally excels and perhaps does not need to devote as much time as others may. This is the aerobic endurance, we know from years of training and monitoring she maintains a very high aerobic level with very little training. In the past, we have lowered the aerobic volume to gain extra time for, strength, power, recovery time or even increase social time. All these have been identified as areas this athlete needs to prioritize.
What to do for the 2nd option? She will need to bring this up with the national coach. Any adjustment in training will need to be planned and integrated with to the group training. She is only one person but depends on others so must behave in a manner so that she and those around her improve. ‘The strength of all improves the strength of the one.’ If all is working well her training partners support her and she supports them. She simply cannot just think about herself. The culture required for excellence must touch everyone.
One of the basic training principles is that of INDIVIDUALIZATION. This states that every athlete is unique and one cookie cutter approach or plan will not yield the same results for all. To reach the best results for any individual they will require a training plan designed with this uniqueness in mind. This does not mean everyone will do things completely different but certainly, some differences will exist. The athlete is a smart and well-educated person who is studying sports science herself so is very aware of the individualization principle.
Currently, all the women in the training group are on the same training plan. I have suggested to her this may be the opportunity to sit with the coach and share her concerns. I expect the coach will welcome the conversation and be happy to make some ‘tweaks’ to the general group plan so that she will be better served. This is, in fact, the process we know is often employed: A cookie-cutter plan is given to the group but over time the coach learns how the individual responds and adapts for each. With repeated adjustments, some plans may become more tailored to each athlete(s) with similar responses are grouped together with the plan ensuring every member of the team improves.
So, this is where we are this morning. Problem-solving strategies for conversations with the coach, reaching out to the Centre support team for training or advice in time management skills and lacking all the smiles we need. Next week, I will make a point to follow up with the athlete and if no progress has been made I will offer to step in myself on her behalf. This is my role while she is away with the team, provide advice, and support where possible. The athlete likes to be responsible for herself with the national coach and her relationships so I respect that. In one week, we will see what has happened and if there is a need for me to reach out to the coach myself.
This stuff is important! Important enough, to occupy my dreams. Important enough, to climb with me out of slumber into the new day.
Personal Text from athlete…. Making smiles