The habits and practices of top coaches are a huge factor as to how they got to where they are....new research gives us a detailed glimpse as to what some of those things are
Last week we spoke a bit about the importance of going deep into a subject, in order to develop the knowledge, skills, and eventual mastery, required to truly help your clients and athletes.
Why chasing after certificates and titles does little good for you or those you coach.
This week we take a look at the actual habits and characteristics of the best coaches in the world.
Research Proving Experiences
The last 15 years of so, I’ve spent hundreds of hours traveling around the glob to learn from the best in their field.
From Dr. Stuart McGill, whom I’ve now become a certified practitioner in his methods (one of fewer than 50 in the entire world), to Loren Landow, a top speed and agility coach, the range is broad, but the theme is the same:
- Read
- Keep Learning
- Every athlete is a study of one
- How do I know this to be true?
- Know myself- weaknesses, strength, etc. and surround myself/ connect with others who are better than me in those areas
- Don’t get stuck on a single approach- things change, and we keep learning better ways to do stuff
- Be the best advocate for your client/athlete
- Go deeper on a subject, and explore new/unexplored relevant areas
These threads were the same across every single top coach I’ve ever met. And now, there is research to prove it.
Latest Research: Key Characteristics of The World’s Best Coaches
Don't Wait for Research
While this most recent study out of University of Queensland proves my own personal observations, I didn’t wait for some research study to tell me it.
I went out and actively explored.
As many of my own mentors and coaches have told me for many years:
“If you wait for the research, you’re easily 5-10 years behind what the best in the world are doing.”
This has been the guiding tenet in my own coaching career, and it’s my hope that these words will strike something inside YOU to get you to do something; to go explore, shadow, learn, and dive deep into a subject.
To try things, even though the researchers haven’t caught up yet.
Part of the reason why the research isn’t there, is because the researchers are often looking at what the best in the world are doing, and then exploring why it works.
So, what will you choose?
To be in the crowd following the research, or at the front, trying things, learning, and changing as your experiences and those surrounding you continue to push forward?
