The art of coaching

We must recognize that coaching is a creative process. What differentiates a good from a great coach is the ability to see the same athlete, the same skill, the same movement and see what others cannot or have not seen yet.

Coaching is constant iteration, prototyping, tinkering to get it right for the athlete. The coaching process is not a reductionist paint by numbers algorithm. A creative coaching process recognizes that the body is smart and as coaches we tap into the wisdom of the body to help the athlete get better. Have a basic technical model and a defined system of training and then fit and adapt that model to the athlete. Too often we try to fit the athlete to the model and the system, more often than it results in the athlete not reaching their potential.

As coaches we learn to see the shapes the athletes needs to make and then reconcile the shapes they can make. That requires a careful blend of art and science. The coach must know the science but that must never be a constraint. A good coaching eye informed by science but not limited to science will make the athlete significantly better.