Level 1 course at Taunton RFC: Adapatability and Empathy

Posted On Wednesday, 09th November 2011 at 08:23

The tragic events of Friday night impacted upon the delivery and organisation of the Level 1 Strength and Conditioning course I ran at Taunton RFC last weekend.  The staff of the Club and some of the attendees had witnessed the events and were shaken by it.  The police and emergency services were exhausted and stretched from dealing with the crash and also the collapsed wall and flood in Bridgwater on the same night.  They closed parts of the Club down to allow their investigation to continue. 

The crash was visible from the Club, and reporters kept appearing to try and ask us questions throughout the weekend. Despite this, and with thoughts for the victims of the crash, we carried on.

As with every course, the basic structure is set, but the shape changes depending on the candidates and their input and needs. Three words came up that summarised their approaches, and were even more relevant this weekend.

Adaptability

Coaches need to be adaptable to the situation and to the person or team in front of them. Whilst in an ideal world every session and every set and rep can be planned in advance, the reality is that the athlete does nto exist in a vaccuum. Circumstances change all the time, and the experienced coach has to change with them.

Empathy

Understanding the needs of the athlete and your fellow coaches, as well as the demands placed on them and parents is important. "Just do it" is a necessary mantra sometimes, but so is "walk a mile in their shoes" to see things from their perspective.

Rapport

Athletes are not robots and should not be drilled mindlessly. if you want to get the best out of someone, and to get some honest answers, then you have to establish a rapport with them. This can not be done by email, or by issuing blanket programmes or demands. This takes time, effort and an ability to ask relevant questions and listen to the athlete as a person.

We also did things like strength work, speed work and cover anatomy and physiology. A lot of that you can learn from a book or journal, but adaptability, empathy and rapport take experience and reflection.  That is what coaching is about.