Coaching while being an athlete!

As we begin 2012 it will be my 35^th year of coaching.

I have experienced the entire spectrum of results from athletes being last or having a bad result when going into an event thinking that winning was the only option for them,  to coming first when a good result on that particular day was last thing that was expected.

Every time these things have happened it has added another chapter to my ‘experience book’.

It wasn’t until 12 years ago when I became a ‘full time’ coach that the consistency of good results really started to play out.

What did I do differently 12 years ago?

I stopped being an athlete myself. I thought I was doing a good job as a part time athlete and a part time coach but I was missing things because my attention to detail just wasn’t there. I thought it was but it wasn’t.

The more and more that I coach at the level that is expected of a coach like myself I know now that I would find it absolutely impossible to be a competitive athlete of any kind and be a professional coach at the same time.

It is akin to having 2 full time jobs because to be competitive as an athlete requires absolute attention to your own training and recovery to ensure good results for themselves.

This attention to your own process leaves no time for any external coaching pressures of the type, especially the many changes in personalities that athletes are prone to as their important events that they are preparing for get closer and closer.

I look back with embarrassment on those years now when I trained 25-35 hours per week and called myself a coach as well. Who was I kidding that I was being a good coach? Myself, and the athletes that I coached.

AI

Just as the lawmakers worldwide are failing to curb lawlessness in all aspects of society which shows that the current methods being used to get on top of the lawbreakers is simply not working as there is more crimes committed each and every day now than ever before, so too, are we losing the battle of society becoming more and more fat and less fit every day.

It seems not a lot is being learned from this as there are more diet and how to eat books today than ever before, yet we are the fattest we have ever been!

One major issue I have with this approach, (other than the obvious in that it is quite simply, not working), is that the assumption is being made that the people they are directing their book towards is already fat.

 We are not born fat!

What about the new children of today that in 15 years or so will join those people and themselves be too fat for good health? Are they fat now? NO! What is it, then that happens between when they are born, not fat and when they can make the choice to eat too much and do too little?

The books that need to be written and adhered to for the entirety of our lives is the book with information on how not to get fat in the first place, not how to lose fat now!

It has almost got to the stage that we need to put all resources into educating new parents on how to show their new born and yet to born children how to structure their eating and exercise regime into something that is totally sustainable for the entirety of their lives.

I feel too much time, energy and money is expended on the already lost causes in our society that make a choice to consume the incorrect food 4-5 times per day for their entire adult lives.

IE: assuming that a person eats 5 times per day for at least 50 years that they make the choice and decision of what and when to eat they will choose to eat what they do so in excess of 91000 times. That is at least 91000 times you have made the incorrect choice by your body.

I am unsure that with the majority of these people that they actually really want to lose the excesses that they are adding to each day otherwise they would do something about it. Let’s face it 4-5 times per day they could actually say to themselves “no I won’t have that to eat, it is no good for me so I will eat some food instead” but they don’t.

 Yes this frustrates me and for all of the successes I have had over the years, many of these same people seem more comfortable eating the way that made them fat in the first place and return back to that when I stop scrutinising them.

It is selfishness and plain laziness that is the cause of most of these over fat and under fit problems I see every day and you all see every time you see other people because I would say now that less than 10%of our population fall into the category of being of ideal fat level and maintaining a fitness level that is acceceptable to sustain a long and healthy life.

You only get 1 body each life so you owe it to look after it; after all, you are the only one who can.

 The real reality is that almost everything we as a race need to nutritionally could be fitted on to 1 page in any of those books. Fact is if we put that 1 page into a book of 250 pages and repeated the same page 250 times. People may just about get it by the time they get to the end.

by Kerrie Smith

Endurance athletes require all three forms of fuel the human body uses for energy: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. A major aspect for optimal performance is using the right fuel, at the right time, in the right amount. Like every aspect of success in endurance events, correct nutrition requires planning, practice, and training to obtain the benefits on race day. Read the rest of this entry »

by Andrew Ivey

I have just entered my 33rd consecutive year as a head coach of numerous athletes, and as the strength and conditioning coach of just as many more.  For over 32 years now, I have coached or had a major role in the development of in excess of 1100 athletes from a large variety of sports at all different levels, ranging from developmental to elite track and field athletes, surf lifesaving, cyclists, triathletes, full time professional rugby league players, Australian rules footballers, golfers, cricketers, bodybuilders and basketballers. Read the rest of this entry »

By Johnny Waddell

The Cape to Cape is a 4 day mountain bike (MTB) stage event, this year held from the 15-18th October starting at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and finishing at Cape Naturalist 222 kilometres away. The inaugural Cape to Cape event held in 2008 provided organizers with plenty of feedback from participants and supporters which meant an improved, more exciting and enjoyable experience for 2009. Participants ranged from the MTB enthusiast (Weekend Warrior) to the Elite racer. In the Elite category we didn’t necessarily have our race face on as we were all just having a good time in an awesome place with old friends and newly made friends. Read the rest of this entry »

by Linda Nix

Fiona transformed her life! A busy working Mum of 3 with great support from her partner, Fiona said goodbye to the old her and pursues her dream of figure fitness success. Fiona is an inspiration to everyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Australian Oxygen Magazine

Elitesportz advertisement featuring Sonia in Australian Oxygen Magazine. Read the rest of this entry »

by Andrew Ivey

Module 3 of the 2009 Cape To Cape Mountain Bike Training Program. Read the rest of this entry »