Put aside Ironman U. I believe its going to take more than 14 hours of content on a website. - no disrespect, just my opinion.
I’ve completed 10 IM’s over 7 years and on track for Legacy.
Just completed UltraMan Florida
I have been a coached athlete for over 7 years.
Been in the sport for 10 years
What makes a great coach; how did you do it; what certifications / education path would you recommend ?
Thanks kindly 
Find a well established coach you admire and respect, offer to intern for him or her. Pursue the certification(s) your prospective clientele value.
Forget certifications, become the best coach you can be. Certifications are, well IDK, not that useful for coaching. Sure if you’re coaching national level athletes with olympic potential USAT is going to make you get certified at some point. Is that level I certification class going to do anything for you? Fuck no it’s not. (neither will Ironman University for that matter).
Knowledge and application > any certifications.
I’ll give you an example. I coached a postdoc in Exercise physiology from Harvard many years ago. We’d chat and he could run circles around me with GLUT 2 or 4 transporters, knew all the steps in the Krebs cycle by heart and I could go on. I learned a ton from him about exercise physiology & I have a degree in that. You know what though, every conversation he circled back to him having all this knowledge of what happens during exercise, the minute differences between MLSS and LT, what is going on in the muscles as the intensity increases or the fatigue sets in but he had no clue how to take all that knowledge and actually apply it to coach someone.
Study your sport. Study other sports. XC skiing, cycling, running, swimming, triathlon, trail running and I could go on. Learn, always challenge your paradigm. When someone says something think about what they are actually saying and how that applies or doesn’t apply to your paradigm. Will it change or alter it in anyway even at the margins?
Develop some people skills as well.
Put on some track practices, start a swim program (my team started as a Saturday only swim), put a bunch of trainers in your garage and start a bike workout for athletes in your community. Get experience. Make mistakes. Read a lot. Talk with experienced coaches (doesn’t matter which sport). Be patient. Ask yourself how it can be done better.
If you start out with the idea that the majority of coaching isn’t “the training planâ€,†then you’ll already be ahead of the game. Learn how people move, learn how they look when they are tired, when they are stressed. Learn how to get buy-in from athletes.
Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, please let me know.
Tim
I’m in a similar boat… I decided to go into business with the guy who coached me through two IM’s and he is my main reference for questions, overall philosophy, etc. He and I talk multiple times a day and there is rarely a day that goes by when I don’t learn something new.
With that being said, he is not my only resource. I’ve met a few coaches on ST who are kind enough to answer the occasional question (I try not to bother them too much) along with some other coaches I’ve met over the years. I’m also always reading books on swim, bike, run asking questions, etc. I figure just about everyone I meet knows something I don’t and it’s up to me to figure out what that is.
In terms of certifications… I spent probably close to $1500 on a USAT level 1 cert last fall (travel, hotel, class, etc) and it was a complete waste of money. The presentations were iffy at best and I learned very little. The exam can be completed using the pdf “textbook†they give you and doesn’t actually require you to learn anything. A couple of highlights from my cert:
He spent an hour showing us how to analyze pedal dynamics on a computrainer. I don’t have a computrainer, nor does anyone I know. I don’t see how this “practical†actually applies to anything most of us do since none of us have the equipment to put tbis knowledge to use and it is a dying platform.
In the discussion of aerodynamics I was told that it’s always faster to have your bottle on the seat tube. Behind the seat is a terrible place. A minor issue, but one that bugged me.
I asked about baseline testing in cycling (ramp test vs 20 min test, vs 8 min test, etc) and was told that was too complicated of a question for that class… he then spent 90 minutes teaching us how to evaluate running form using the Pose method. Now I’m not an expert on running technique, but it seems to me that it requires more than an hour and a half to be able to diagnose issues and offer suggestions for athletes in a safe and knowledgeable manner.
I could go on, but those are a few that come to mind as I sit on my coach waiting for dinner.
In short, find a mentor, never stop asking questions, and don’t bother with a certification. I doubt I will renew mine.
There’s a lot of great content on here from very good coaches. And a lot of bullshit, but more good than bad.
Find your voice by having conversations with coaches you admire. Pick up the phone. Go watch a practice (any sport). Think outside the box.
I suggest you do as much in-person coaching as you can.
Certifications arent a bad thing and FWIW the IMU platform is decent way to connect to new atheltes. But, you need to be an excellent communicator. That can be hard to do without being face-to-face, but it’s possible.
I could go on, but those are a few that come to mind as I sit on my coach waiting for dinner.
Amazing typo considering the rest of your advice 
.
Seems to be a lot of you are not impressed with the coaching courses and accreditations in the USA.
I did my Level 1 Triathlon Training Course 10 years ago in Australia. There were parts of the course I didn’t agree with (outdated advice). Quite a few topics I already knew very well. But I also learnt a few things and make some good connections both with other attendees and presenters. And the assignments were tough enough that I estimate less than half of the attendees ended up getting their accreditation.
Last year I did the Level 2 Triathlon Training Course. This was an intensive 9 day course at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. We stayed on campus and most days were 6am to 8pm with small breaks for breakfast, lunch & tea. We spent time with some of the best Coaches and Sport Scientists in Australia (if not the World). I cannot believe how good this course was and made some unbelievably good connections.
Another aspect of coaching accreditation with your National Authority (at least in Australia) is the insurance cover you get in case an athlete (or their family) tries to sue you.
I could go on, but those are a few that come to mind as I sit on my coach waiting for dinner.
Amazing typo considering the rest of your advice
Oh man, that is funny! What’s really sad is that I proofread the stupid post! That’s what I get for typing on my phone with fat fingers!
what DD says here!!
You want a GREAT coach…who knows a fair bit about triathlon (or your sport of choice)
PM Ian Murray (ianpeace). He’s been coaching for a long time, and has also polished up his resume by learning just about all of the bike fit protocols out there.
One thing is for certain – you need to drop an athlete mid-season. /pink
Do you want to be great? Or certified? Or great and certified?
I’m not a coach but I don’t really need to be to say this… getting certified may help you get business/sales, but it won’t make you great. Being great may be “great†but it won’t necessarily help you get or ensure that you get business/sales. So I would think about your goals first.
it’s a baller move…
Do you want to be great? Or certified? Or great and certified?
I’m not a coach but I don’t really need to be to say this… getting certified may help you get business/sales, but it won’t make you great. Being great may be “great†but it won’t necessarily help you get or ensure that you get business/sales. So I would think about your goals first.
I’m not so much concerned about the money. I’m more interested in providing good advice for the athlete.
Whatever I need to do to provide this good advice, albeit certification or not, I want to know.
I want to provide plans to prevent my athletes from getting injured, help the athlete meet or exceed their goal and pull from my experience as well.
One thing is for certain – you need to drop an athlete mid-season. /pink
Can you please elaborate?
it’s a baller move…
Thanks… I think
One thing is for certain – you need to drop an athlete mid-season. /pink
Can you please elaborate?
This epic thread happened before you joined the forum…
Enjoy some Slowtwitch Historical reading
One thing is for certain – you need to drop an athlete mid-season. /pink
Can you please elaborate?
This epic thread happened before you joined the forum…
Enjoy some Slowtwitch Historical reading
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...TF%3F%3F%3F_P5124120
NIIIIIIIIIICE haha thanks
One thing is for certain – you need to drop an athlete mid-season. /pink
Can you please elaborate?
This epic thread happened before you joined the forum…
Enjoy some Slowtwitch Historical reading
https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...TF%3F%3F%3F_P5124120
NIIIIIIIIIICE haha thanks
It is WELL worth reading the ENTIRE thread BTW