Athlete- focused coaching

Over the summer I did a session with other members of UK Cheer Tumble Coaches group where we discussed how to increase progress in our recreational tumble classes. One of the main points that came from that session was about meeting athletes where they are, not where you want/ expect them to be. I even made a video about it for social media (see below).

So please tell me why, when I was at a clinic I delivered recently, that I decided it was a good idea to teach level zero athletes with elite level 1 skills in mind? Talk about taking your own advice. In the moment I was thinking to myself, this is ridiculous, why can’t these athletes do X,Y,Z? In reality, I was the ridiculous one and was subjecting these poor athletes to drills that were beyond their ability. I’d made the session about what I wanted to do, rather than what was needed for them to progress.

Just like anything, not all of tumbling is fun. I’d much prefer teach an open tuck than a walkover, for example. In this case, I decided it was a good idea to neglect key tumble shapes, which sounds even more ridiculous as I type. Shapes are the foundation for athlete development. They build familiarity. Were I to say, you enter via the passe lunge or squeeze to a hollow, the athlete would know exactly what that means. What the hell was I thinking?

I wasn’t, is the answer.

So, in the break, I reviewed my plans because there was no way I could continue the way I was. I stripped everything back and met the athletes where they were. The result? The athletes started to progress because they were able to engage with the content of the session and could see the pathway to success. I cringe at the rookie mistake because the athletes were having a better time, I didn’t feel like so much of a douche and I could see the turnaround in the athletes approach- they believed they were capable.

Part of the problem, I think, for me anyway, is that I’m so used to doing everything in a way that is coach-led. Which again makes no sense because tumble sessions aren’t about me. The results were so much better when I restructured the session so it was athlete driven. I tried the same thing with the team I coach at AEC. I asked them to set SMART goals at the beginning of the season and weirdly, their personal and team goals were almost identical across the whole team. I spoke to them about these results and said I’d be using them to shape the sessions going forward. You could see the impact it had because output was higher, desire for success was up, and athletes who are usually quiet wanted to share their opinions. Everything was better as a consequence.

I know I’ll make this mistake again. It’s inevitable BUT I’ll value the reminder because it means I can bring everything back in and start again, again.

If you’d like to look at more athlete-centred coaching approaches, I recently came across this website called: Play their Way

Sign up! Resources are free and I’ve found some of the content really helpful when thinking about how to be more effective when trying to stimulate athletes to achieve their potential in the gym.

Have a great week!

Rob