Guided by Experience!
I used to get asked why I would travel and coach at events such as WZA? It was a question that seemed to spark my interest as well. Why did I enjoy coaching at events like regionals or wodapalooza, ultra-endurance events, weightlifting competitions, and tactical athlete competitions (i.e., recon challenge, tactical games, best ranger challenge)? It was not like I could step out on the competition floor for the athlete to do 100 thrusters and 10 legless rope climbs for time, cross the start line of an ultra-endurance event, cut weight for a weightlifting meet, or put on a 60 lbs ruck and complete the unknown tasks. What I could do was support them from a psyche standpoint. Providing a vital part in the athlete's mental performance attributes and how they operate in high-stress states.
Yes, I have performed those thrusters, moved for more than 30 hours in a mountain endurance race, even had to make weight to lift at a national level event or perform a skill-based task when exhausted after moving for 7 hours with a 60lb ruck during life or death situations and competition setting. I get to provide each athlete with a sports psychology perspective when I attended these events, no matter the sports domain. The athletes I had in the past and currently coaching know how much I am growing and creating the parallels of the two worlds and my personal life growth.
Working with athletes the past couple of years in this manner has changed my perspective. As coaches continue to develop, they must not forget the athlete's psyche and build education on psychology and sports psychology. The strength and conditioning field is no longer about how strong or fast you can make an athlete, in my eyes. It is becoming a matter of you can help the athlete tapping into their full potential at that given moment. My goal is now to keep an athlete durable, meet their goals, keep them healthy mentally and physically, and assist in developing skill sets to succeed personally and professionally. As human performance coaches evolve, the challenge becomes how to get the athlete to fulfill their goals, be an asset to themselves and those around them without compromising health whilst pursuing their physical endeavors.
