Athlete Communication Is The Fuel To A Good Coach-Athlete Relationship
Being open and honest as an athlete are the key traits to building a positive coach-athlete relationship. If there is a barrier between a coach and athlete in terms of communication, this will have a negative knock on effect on your performances in both training and racing. It is no coincidence that behind every successful athlete, normally stands a coach behind the scenes who is rarely seen in the post-winning interview. Whilst it is no doubt that the athlete has put in the grind physically and mentally to get the success and winning moments, a coach acts as the glue, keeping everything in place, making sure nothing becomes unattached along the way. Here are some of the key traits to consider when we look at the coach-athlete relationship.
Effective and Successful coach-athlete relationships
1. Openness Between Athlete and Coach
When there is a genuine open relationship with your coach, this will generate more trust, better communication and a winning mindset. It may take time and if you are just starting with a new coach it could be months before the relationship fully blossoms. It is important to open the door to his ideas but equally speak up and counter them if you think it might not work for you. Being open with these ideas will allow you to enhance your personal growth and confidence and through this, winning will become a spinoff from this relationship you have created.
2. Physical Problems? Don’t Be Scared to Speak Up
A coach can sometimes come across as intimidating when they are shouting at you to hold your pace on the run session or for you to keep hitting your swim times so you can reach your full physical limit within the set but deep down this just shows that they are wanting you to reach your full potential. They aren’t there to help you fail are they! On the flip side of this if things aren’t feeling right and you can’t hit your times because of external factors such as your physical health then be totally honest with them and tell them if there is a problem so they can address it, so they aren’t left in the dark as to why you weren’t able to hit the session times that day.
3. Feedback
This is something that works both ways and something you should actually crave. It is essentially the only way that you are going to make improvements to your performance. The feedback you give will allow your coach to make the critical changes to your training you need to get better. In a book called ‘The Bounce’ by Matthew Syed, he states that “feedback is necessary for improvement. It helps us correct and fine tune”. For example, if you are tired and you let your coach know that, he may back off the next session so that you are ready and prepped for the one after. Alternatively, if you feel like you are hitting your times easily and with little effort the coach may look to push you on but he will not know that if you don’t tell him.
4. Genuine Interest
There needs to be mutual interest, respect and effort from both sides. To create a strong and long-lasting relationship you must both be able to show that interests lie within you as an individual. You need to show the coach that you are there to succeed and not mess about, especially if you are competing at an elite level. Obviously there needs to be a degree of fun to it but at the same time you are there to work and improve and by both sides showing this interest, things will go in a positive forward direction.
Article by Luke Howard
