Coaching higher level athletes

One of my coaches a couple of weeks ago commented on the fact that when our program director finds coaches for the athletes at our club, that he needs to find coaches that "ski better" than the athletes themselves.  I reflected on what he said and I am not sure that I completely agree.  After all, this isn't the situation you find at the world cup level.  Are the coaches that coach the world cup athlete's better skiers than the athletes themselves?  I think that there is a possibility that some day a coach might end up having to coach an athlete, who could possibly be a better skier than the coach themselves.  Is this a reason for the coach to be nervous of being that athlete's coach?  In my opinion the answer to this question is "no." I think that a coach can still have a lot to offer an athlete even if they are a "better skier" or more "athletically talented" than their coach.  If a coach is put into the situation where they are requested to coach an athlete who is at such a "high level," then I think the coach should look at rising to the challenge of coaching this type of athlete.  Of course it will be a challenge for this coach and there are a number of things which will facilitate this process.  Here are just some of the things for a coach to consider if they are coaching a high level athlete:

• the athlete needs to believe that the coach has something to offer them.
• the coach must be confident that they have something to offer the athlete
• the coach and athlete must have a good relationship.
• the coach and athlete must be able to see things from each others' perspectives.
• the coach must use the athlete's knowledge and experience as a benchmark from which to teach the athlete
• the coach must not feel threatened by the athlete's athletic abilities and success.
• the athlete must respect the coach's knowledge and be open to feedback.
• the learning process must be dynamic for both the coach and athlete.

At my ski club there is a core group of master's racers and coaches who have been with the club for a number of years.  In this group there are a number of different opinions on this subject.  For example, some of the higher level athletes feel that the coaches of our ski club have nothing to offer them, and therefore they do not commit to training.  Some on the other hand feel that the coaches do have something to offer and are committed to training, however their training routines are different.  Some will show up for gate training only, and some will show up for gate training as well as technical training.  I will show up for both gate training as well as technical training, including all of what our ski club has to offer.  This is because  I believe that every learning experience has something to offer, regardless of the athlete's level.   And this is true for both the athlete and the coach.  Gate training, can give an athlete feedback just through the experience of skiing through a course.  It doesn't doesn't really matter whether the coach is a "better skier" than me or not.  In fact a lot of the times I just use my coach more as a "pair of eyes" to help me indentify the elements of my skiing that might need improvement.  Yes, sometimes they don't give me an appropriate correction which matches the detection.  In fact it is very rare that the correct is appropriate, but I figure it is more up to me to figure out how to make the correction, based on my own knowlegdge and experience.  I do need the coaches input though, because I am not able to "watch myself" ski through the course.  The coach also learns from watching their athletes ski through their courses.  It is interesting for the coach to watch higher level athletes modify their technique as the course set and conditions change.

I also think it is important for an athlete to show up for technical training.  In my case I have a good technical coach that really understands the foundational technical elements of skiing.  Even though I am a high level athlete,  I still feel that I need what this coach has to offer me.  I am not saying that I am a "better skier" than my coach, only that it doesn't really matter which one of us is a better skier.  For example, in alpine ski racing you often have to modify your technique in order to ski different types of courses.  I need someone who understands the technical elements of skiing in order to ask how to modify my technique to match the different course sets.  Alpine ski racing is almost a different sport than freeskiing, even though the technical building blocks are the same.  I also would like to be able to understand the technical elements in detail, in case some day I have to teach someone else how to rise to my level and experience in alpine ski racing.  For this reason, I need a coach who can explain these technical elements to me in a way that I would be able to explain it to someone else.  So what does all this mean for a coach who is coaching a high level athlete?  If you have an athlete who is either a "better skier" or who could potentially be a "better skier" than you, do not be afraid to rise to the challenge of being their coach.  Figure out what you have to offer them.  You might have to teach them how to be an active learner if they are a passive learner.  A couple of my earlier posts explains the difference between active and passive learning and how to manage them.  A higher level athlete can be fun to coach because you can experiment with different teaching strategies to find which ones work:  higher level athletes will probably be able to do what you ask them, so it is easy experiment with different technical corrections.  And don't forget that higher level athletes still need a coach, coaching them can be a rewarding experience because you will really be able to push the limits of your teaching skills.  This is something that is not possible with lower level athletes.  There is the potential to make incredible leaps and bounds in your ability to teach, if you stick with the coaching relationship you have with your higher level athlete.