Coaching style: Democratic
Coaching is a partnership and the coach’s job is to guide and support. I see coach and athlete as closer to equal, without a large power gap.
With younger athletes, my goal is to help them develop autonomy and understand their own feelings of competence and ability. They need to pursue and strive for their own personal, intrinsic goals, not what others project upon them. With more mature athletes, the athlete is typically most knowledgeable about their life, their time, and their abilities. In most cases, these athletes have reached a high level prior to working with me and I will likely need their perspective on that development.
Methodology
My training methodology favors intensity over volume. My coaching methodology is rooted in good communication.
I encourage athletes to change or modify their training based on how they feel, whether their fatigue is a result of training, relationships, or work commitments. I work with the athlete to develop a strong understanding of self, both mentally and physically, so that they can make good decisions with my support.
Philosophy
My goal is to create better people through sport. Together with the athlete, we work toward growth, in both their ability in sport and in the rest of life. Sport does not create character, nor does it teach life lessons. However, with support and encouragement, sport is a great place to learn by striving and failing. Through failure we learn, and through striving we set and reach our goals. These lessons do translate to the rest of an athlete’s life if they are supported in their athletic life. My job is to grow the person, not just the athlete, because an athlete who is strong in life competes well.
What makes an athlete a good fit for your philosophy/methodology?
As a coach, I consider it my job to find ways to reach all athletes and to work well with all athletes. That being said, I am not a top-down coach, so athletes looking to blindly follow a training plan will likely struggle with my program. My ideal athlete is open to new challenges and methods, communicative, and eager to partner with me to reach their potential.
