Words: Andre Bekker
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MULTI SPORTS
WHY SPEND YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY ON A COACH? WELL, A COACH IS AN EXPERT IN THE SPORT HE COACHES AND LOVES WHAT HE DOES. SO IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SHORT CUT TO EFFICIENCY, WHICH ALSO TAKES YOU ON AN ENJOYABLE JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY, THEN A COACH IS THE WAY TO GO. EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
A good coach is someone who has an intrinsic knowledge of the sport he coaches, which is gained though experience from many years of being involved in the sport. 'Experience' being the key word here. A coach uses this experience to transfer his knowledge to you. Why do something on a trial-and-error basis when someone else has already done that?
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EXPLORING THE BOUNDA ENDURANCE SPORT IS AL RIES OF ALWAYS PUNISHED AND MOST THIS PUNISHMENT COMES MAI IN TWO FORMS; INJURIES NLY ILLNESS, WHICH WILL AL AND CERTAINLY SLOW DOWN MOST TOWARDS YOUR GOALS. PROGRESS So by using
someone else’s experie nce, you fast track your own learning curve and this will lead to faster impr ovement and good results much qu icker.
AN IN-DEPTH understandin
g of the sport being coac hed comes from studying, as well as personal experienc e in that particular discipline. It's not only an understanding of th e big picture but also based on the finer details, such as heart-r ate zones, block training, efficien cy exercises, power metres, and th e correct percentage of maximum power training.
MORE BENEFITS
So what can a coac h do for you besides share his experience? Here are a few other bene fits you would enjoy:
• A coach can build confidence. Many ath letes lack confidence and need to work on that. Traini ng correctly, resting and injury management is ke y to confidence. Athletes be come more confident wh en they can see their impr ovement. I make sure th ere is a fixed measurable in place. Do this week ly an d eventually 'the abnorm al become the normal' . • A coach can clearly identify limiters, such as time spent at work, family commitments and othe r commitments that will impact on time availab le to train. This is important because expectations need to be in line with reality .
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MORE BENEFITS • A coach can help you set goals, taking into account your limiters and time available to train, thus keeping expectations real. It is very important to understand what it takes to train for a Comrades or an IRONMAN. Goals must be a stretch goal, otherwise it's not a goal, and it must be performance based, not outcome based. I will discuss this in depth in another article. • A coach can bring out the best in your performance. He is on the outside looking in and can see the big picture, such as what needs to improve, what needs more work and how to go about it. If you have to do this assessment yourself, would you truly be able to see the forest for the trees?
• A coach will never motivate you as that comes from your own desire to achieve a certain set goal. However, when you pay for someone's advise, you immediately feel contracted to deliver and that adds to your motivation. • Lastly, consider being in a position where you can ask questions, feel motivated, and have realistic goals to strive towards and someone to help you achieve this. Just imagine having an expert in running, cycling, swimming or your chosen sport at your disposal, now wouldn't that be great? • If you have any questions or need advice on coaching, please email Andre Bekker on a.bekker@mweb.co.za or visit http://5thdimensioncoaching.co.za
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