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Of the more than twenty million Americans who are running today, most who start do so for the wrong reasons, with the wrong attitude, and tend to lose interest after a few weeks or months. Many quit. This is usually because they become concerned with superficial goals such as time and distance and never discover the more profound mental benefits that running offers. (Lilliefors 15) To be a successful coach, the first thing a coach has to do is become well acquainted with the athlete. The coach should get to know the athlete’s life outside of track. If the coach does not know the person as an individual then he would not be able to coach them. According to a collegiate track athlete, “a track coach should not only improve your running, but he should improve your way of life” (Jones). I believe that statement is true. A coach needs to have that close personal connection with their athletes. Like a teacher would have a connection to a student. With out that teacher, student connection the athlete will not enjoy learning nor will the coach be able to teach the athlete. In fact, a coach is a teacher, and the athlete is a student. That should be true for all coaches, not just a track coach. The second thing a coach has to do is assess the athlete. Then they need to find out what type of runner the athlete is. That way they can design a workout program that will prove to be the most effective with that person. Every athlete is different, so that would require a workout to fit that type of person. A coach could be training two athletes in the same event, but they would be doing different things. When asked why don’t they do the same workouts, he said, “You guys are different runners, he might need to work on the speed aspect of running, while you already have that part down. You might need to work on the form aspect of running, and he has that down. So why would you guys be doing the same workout, when it would only benefit one of you” (Washington). Not only does a coach prepare athletes body but also their minds. A coach prepares the athletes mind by getting them to think about what they are going to be doing before there event comes up. If one were to look at Maurice Green before a race, one would notice that he is very concentrated and thinking about what he needs to do to win. Another example of that would be football or basketball players. Before the game, each athlete has his or her own ritual before game time. That concentration is called "getting in the zone." "What I do know is how to get you in the best shape of your life so that you'll be stronger and more explosive than you've ever been. I can also help you prepare your mind for competition" (Connolly 14). When one becomes a track coach, one has to make many important decisions concerning their athletes. When accessing an athlete, the coach will have to decide what events will work best for the athlete, and the team. If an athlete gets injured, the coach will have to decide whether or not the athlete should compete or not. The coach will then have to see that a trainer or a doctor looks at the athlete's injury to see what workouts the athlete can and cannot do. The coach will then have to design another program to get the athlete back on track while the injury is healing, so the athlete can stay in shape. Another important decision that the coach must make is what track meets the athletes should compete in. A lot of coaches do not send their athletes to the tough meet because they want the team to win. My mentor told me "in high school I was the only good jumper at my school. I wanted to go to all the big meets, but my coach thought it would be best to send to whole team to a meet instead of just one person" (Washington). The only way one will get better is if one competes against good athletes. If one keeps competing with below average athletes and one beat them every time, how is one supposed to get better? There would be no challenge. Yes, one might not win against the good athletes but they will make one try harder and do better. Often a fastest time comes when an athlete is challenged but loses the race. Everyday for practice the coach has to plan something new and challenging but still enjoyable for practice. It is not good just to target on one aspect of running. All aspects must be covered throughout practices. “Just as you have to sort out the details of every workout and distribute workouts appropriately through the week, you also have to keep in mind the big picture” (Clark). One day’s plan might concentrate on starts, then the next on form and endurance. Like in basketball, one does not only practice how to shoot, but one must also practice how to dribble better, and how to move their feet on defense, and passing. That way they will be a well-rounded player. The coach should also make the practices fun. If all an athlete did at practice were run laps, then they would not want to come out to practices or even run track anymore. To mix things up, a coach might have a unorthodox practice, such as playing football. At first, it might not seem like a good idea for practice, but by the time that the team is done they would be tired. It would help to build our endurance and explosiveness and still be enjoyable. When it comes time for a track meet, the coach must make up the schedule to be challenging, but at the same time not so hard to where the athletes want to give up. They must coordinate the track meet and make sure everything is running smoothly. If something goes wrong the track coaches must deal with it. There are two different types of coaches. On is a personal coach, and the other is a team coach. The personal coach will work with one athlete in every department. In the preseason, the personal coach will be with the athlete in the gym helping that person become stronger in all the right places. The coach will also be out there on the track with the athlete when it comes to conditioning. In the preseason, a team coach will only give you a workout to do and assume that they will do it. They do not have the time to work with each individual athlete to make sure they are doing the workouts. With a personal coach the practices are based upon that individual athlete. The coach does not have to try to fit all the athletes’ needs into one practice. With a team coach the athletes do not get the personal attention that they need. The coach just makes a basic practice to fit the fundamentals of the event that they are coaching. At the track meets the team coach has to take care of the whole team and does not have the time to work with each athlete and prepare them for all of their events. Whereas a personal coach has the time to prepare his or her athlete for their event. At the track meets that I went to last year with my school team, I did not even get a chance to talk to the coach before my event. When I went to a track meet with my club team, the whole time I am with my coach working on my preparation for my events. I think it is better for the athlete to have a personal coach so they can get the individual attention. For most track coaches, before they were a track coach they were athletes themselves. I think that is how they get their knowledge about track. Their coach teaches them and then they pass it on to their athletes when they become a coach. Information is passed on from generation to generation using that method. That is another reason why I would want to be a track coach in the future. I want to pass on all the knowledge that my coaches have taught me over the years. That way I can stay associated with track for an extra amount of years. An athlete’s track career will last about ten to fourteen years. To extend that career they will become a coach, or a broadcaster for track. If you are a good coach, your former players will want to come back to visit and stay in touch. They will feel very comfortable around your current players. Honesty is the centerpiece of a coach/player relationship. Bibliography: Clark, Josh. Road Rhythms. Online Internet. Dec. 2000 Available:*http://kicksports.com/good/cycle.shtml* Connelly, Pat. Coaching Evelyn. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Jones, Cedric. Personal Interview, Nov. 2000 Lilliefors, Jim. Total Running/ All About the Mental and Spiritual Side of Running. New York: William Morrow and Company, INC, 1997 Robinson, Charles, Personal Interview. June 1999. Spurrier, Steve. Getting Player to Play the Best They Can. .Online Internet. Nov. 2000. Available 1999 *http://www.y-coach.com/CD/coaching.htm* Washington, James, Personal Interview, Nov. 2000 Word Count: 1610
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