I’ve been in triathlon for a few years and was wondering about coaching. I am sold on the idea of why one is so important, but I am interested in what criteria people use for selecting a coach. Is it their experience/background, their coaching style, geographical proximity, price, their sex (males prefering male coaches and vice vera), use of technology (trainingbible, etc.). If or when you made a decision about a coach what would be the most important thing to you?
Telebump,
The short answer is “yes” to all of the criteria above. Candidly, a coach/athlete is very personal and it’s ultimately up to the athlete to define what they need from a coach.
Some athletes merely want a training plan. Others are looking for life-balance support. Whereas others want high-tech feedback. All of these are reasonable, yet very personal.
I’d suggest contacting a number of coaches, interviewing them, and then deciding who best meets your needs/financial constraints most appropriately.
For instance, I’d LOVE to have a lifestyle/financial freedom which allows me to work with some of the top-names in the sport (Welch in particular, bit Molina, or even Byrne also intrigue me). However, I’m unable (or at least unwilling) to spend $500+ per month at this point (not including the fact that I’d need to work part-time rather than full-time to actually complete the training). The result is that I’ve chosen coaches who align with my personality while simultaneously meeting certain cost requirements.
As I stated earlier, just pick up the phone and call a bunch of coaches. If you are willing to work with “less famous” coaches, you may find that you receive increased attention, quality training, and a lower cost.
Cheers,
Jonathan C. Puskas
I’d love a female coach. My team had one, but she started Med school 2 weeks after I joined so she had to leave. She was hot too, so it was motivation to impress her haha. She was our everything coach.
Now we have a great swim coach. He used to walk on the deck of the pool with a broomstick and poke me in the back when my stroke got out of line. He’s also funny because he has a thick russian accent and doesn’t speak the language too well, but he’s nice and pretty tough (but in a good way).
On the other hand, we have a crappy bike/run one. He’s an all around asshole who doesn’t know too much about training (from my point of view, and I’ve taken care to read a lot about the subject). I don’t mind if a coach has favorites, but he shouldn’t show it. I’m probably gonna leave him pretty soon.
I think a coach needs to be dedicated and understanding of your needs. It’s important that he can communicate with you and work with you one-on-one. Adults don’t need as much discipline as kids my age, so I don’t think this is important.
Technology in my opinion is good, but not a necessity; HR training is a must, but all the swimming equipment and gear is not.
Finally I think that you need a swim coach that can see you swim, but for the bike/run even a far away one can be good if you talk with him on a regular basis.