I once heard Jim Wendler, the creator of the “5/3/1”
program, say that as a coach, it’s not his job to motivate his lifters. If you didn’t want to lift, or didn’t
want to be in the gym, then get the hell out because it wasn’t his job to
motivate you. I whole-heartedly
disagree with this stance.
In this first installment of “The Mental Game” I want to
address the coach/athlete relationship and one of the marks of a great
coach. This is a story my dad told
me about his days training in martial arts that illuminated an attribute that I
believe all great coaches must possess:
an intimate knowledge of their athletes.
In any sport where technique is of the utmost importance,
there will come a time where an athlete questions what he/she is doing. Any hesitation or loss of confidence
can be the difference between success and failure.
In martial arts, just as in weightlifting, an athlete must
blend speed, power, and precise technique to achieve success. To earn his green belt in Tae Kwon Doe,
my dad was required to pass a series of tests demonstrating his mastery of the
skills he had been taught at that level his martial arts training. One of the tests that day was to break
two wood boards with a single spinning straight back kick.
On his first two attempts, he failed to break the
boards. With only one attempt
remaining and his confidence in shambles, he felt there was little hope he
would be able to change the outcome with his final kick.
His sensei, or coach, “Mr. Pat,” walked over to him with
another board. He ordered the
third board added for his final attempt.
The decision was puzzling for my father, but he did as his coach ordered
and prepared to try to break the boards.
He succeeded, and with one precise kick, broke through all three boards.
As my father said to me later of Mr. Pat, who at the time
was only in his mid twenties, “he knew something that I didn’t.”
Only Mr. Pat knows exactly what triggered him to increase
the difficulty of the test despite the fact that his athlete had already failed
twice. Whatever his own motivation
was, the effect was a boost in confidence to an athlete that was struggling
with the mental game. The
adversity my father faced had shaken his confidence on that day. By adding another board, Mr. Pat gave
my father a vote of confidence.
His coach’s belief in his abilities brought back my father’s own
self-assurance, which allowed him to free his mind of the doubt and stress over
technique that was plaguing him following his first two attempts. He had trained for this moment. He was prepared for this moment. It was time to let go and simply act.
Mr. Pat, though he was young, understood this. One mark of a great coach is the
ability to truly empathize his/her athletes, to truly step into their shoes and recognize what they're thinking and feelign, and be able to adjust on the fly
to tailor his/her coaching to meet their needs. The coach must be able to watch the athlete’s body language,
and diagnose when they are tired, when they feel defeated, and conversely, when
they are “on.” An action as simple
as adding another board during a martial arts test or telling an athlete to
increase the weight on the bar even though he/she missed the last rep can boost
the athlete’s confidence. Genuine
confidence in his or her preparation is paramount to an athlete’s success.
The key is to pay attention to the details, and understand
what makes each unique athlete tick.
What drives them? What
motivates them? How do they respond
to adversity and failure? Do they
tend to think too much? Do they
tend to rush? Do they shut down
when you speak to them sternly or do they need a kick in the ass? Do they fold when the odds are stacked
against them, or do they perform to the best of their abilities under pressure?
No two athletes approach their sport in the same way. Great coaches understand that, and are
able to help their athletes achieve the state of mind that will yield optimal results
for them.
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