Another hot topic?

[pwr_machine]

What makes a good coach for lifting? I see varying opinions across the board. Does he or she have to be a good lifter to be a good coach? I think familiarity and practical experience with weight training is essential. However, I do not believe a good coach also needs to be a great lifter in his time. For example, Billy Jack Talton of Louisiana Tech won more national championships in the history of collegiate powerlifting than any other team. The majority of those are consecutive championships and the team is still at the top of the nation. The number of wins speak for themselves. But was he a good lifter in his time? Nope. But a damn good coach of today.

I see many other characteristics besides just looking the part that makes a good coach...patience, tolerance, acceptance, motivation, respect, sportsmanship, ability to teach, knowledge, a love for the sport, the willingness to learn, the desire to win, etc.

So what do you think makes a good coach? What makes a superior coach stand out from other coaches?

 

[overhead]

I cannot say about powerlifting, but the good coaches I have had in other areas always seemed to have a great deal of knowledge, they were GREAT teachers, and knew how to motivate people to achieve things that they thought were not possible. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you cannot teach it, it is not going to do a lot of good. Plenty of great football coaches were not great football players. Success in the field is a plus, I am more likely to listen to someone that has either acheived greatness in the field, or has coached others to greatness over and over again. But personal success is not required.

 

[muscledog95]

i find it hard to listen to a fat, out of shape person. I think practicing what you preach and being able to communicate well helps. Also being a people person will go along way

 

[spatts]

I don't think someone has to be a great lifter, but experience helps.

I don't want to stir coals, but... Just the other day, you commented that some coaches/clubs weren't really a result of the coach/training method but because the best of the best converge there. In the case of Westside, that was not accurate, but you also mentioned that LA Tech was one of those teams...where the best of the best converge there. So is it the coach or the lifters? Surely if Lou can't take credit for the lifters at Westside, then Billy Jack can't take credit for the lifters at LA Tech (where the best of the best rule actually applies).

I had a trainer that was a National Level Body Builder. He was a wonderful motivator and knew what worked for him. However, I came out injured and it took a year to rehab before I could be where I wanted to be. His knowledge of biomechanics, physiology, nutrition, etc...was subpar, and it reflected in my overall health. He, too, had surgery on his knees and elbows. We could've both been spared if he'd had a little technical know-how.

I prefer training partners. We all learn together, train together, make it a point to stay educated, and to keep eachother educated, spot/critique eachother, etc... We each bring something unique to the table, and together, we are like one great coach.

I have had track coaches, volleyball coaches, basketball coaches, martial arts instructors, etc....and never in any sport have I had the success and fulfillment I get from being part of a training team; with or without a coach.

Then you have people that "coach you," but aren't a full time "coach." I think this is a really grey area, limited only by how much travel time and money you're willing to spend to learn. In this case, I have a LOT of people coaching me.

 

[Deleted member 33117]

pwr_machine, while this isn't a topic I know alot about, I would say the most important traits would be knowledge, communication skills, and desire to see those he trains succeed. While him having been a great lifter himself could be helpful, it is more of a reflection of his genetics rather than strictly his knowledge. Someone with bad genetics for strength (ie poor neurl-efficiency, higher predominance of slow-twitch fibers, etc) might never have the potential bench 600 ibs, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the skills and knowledge neccissary to be the greatest strength coach of all time.

 

[Exodus]

i like a coach who has a positive manor. doesnt put up with crap, doggs me out when i need it, and pats me on the back when i deserve it. experience to me is more important than book smarts, but someone who has both with above attributes......... well i would serve in his army anyday.............................

X

 

[pwr_machine]

I don't think someone has to be a great lifter, but experience helps.

I don't want to stir coals, but... Just the other day, you commented that some coaches/clubs weren't really a result of the coach/training method but because the best of the best converge there. In the case of Westside, that was not accurate, but you also mentioned that LA Tech was one of those teams...where the best of the best converge there. So is it the coach or the lifters? Surely if Lou can't take credit for the lifters at Westside, then Billy Jack can't take credit for the lifters at LA Tech (where the best of the best rule actually applies).

I agree with that statement. And I know without a doubt that lifters converge to both LA Tech and Westside because of good coaching. But you also help send another driving point. One was a good lifter, now considered a good coach. The other was never a good lifter, yet also considered a good coach. I'm not trying to stir coals either, I'm just simply asking what makes a good coach. We've had some good answers so far.

 

[overhead]

I don't know about you guys, but if either Billy Jack or Lou approached me and said I could improve a lift by doing something, I would listen.

 

[pwr_machine]

I don't know about you guys, but if either Billy Jack or Lou approached me and said I could improve a lift by doing something, I would listen.

That's part of being a coachable athlete. A coachable athlete is as important as a good coach.

 

[cheesecake]

i like a coach who has a positive manor. doesnt put up with crap, doggs me out when i need it, and pats me on the back when i deserve it.

Basically, you want a coach that will say something like, 'You know, you are the most uncoachable wrestler that I have ever dealt with.'



Seriously though, to me, it's not so much about experience, but knowledge.

Just because someone has success as an athelete doesn't mean that they will be able to coach others to do the same. On the flip side, just because someone wasn't successful as an athelete doesn't mean that they are not able to coach others into success.
...chad...

 

[pwr_machine]

Good points.

 

[spatts]

I agree with that statement. And I know without a doubt that lifters converge to both LA Tech and Westside because of good coaching. But you also help send another driving point. One was a good lifter, now considered a good coach. The other was never a good lifter, yet also considered a good coach. I'm not trying to stir coals either, I'm just simply asking what makes a good coach. We've had some good answers so far.

What they both have in common, though, is good lifters. So I'm suggesting that what makes a good coach is a good athlete. If a coach has all the knowledge in the world, all the experience in the world, etc...but the lifter isn't able to listen, able demonstrate-then-duplicate, willing to learn, etc...then it's lost. It's a team effort. A lifter is an expression, or reflection, of the coach. An excellent coach without a quality lifter is like Shakespeare without ink.

 

[Exodus]

Basically, you want a coach that will say something like, 'You know, you are the most uncoachable wrestler that I have ever dealt with.'

yeah yeah......... i wonder what he would say if he could see me now???

X

 

[pwr_machine]

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

 

[spatts]

What do you think makes you a good coach, pwr_machine?

 

[pwr_machine]

Never claimed to be a good coach. I'm learning just like everyone else, but I possess these qualities: patience, tolerance, acceptance, motivation, respect, sportsmanship, ability to teach, knowledge, a love for the sport, the willingness to learn, the desire to win, etc.

I have experience with:

1) a Division I-A football and v-ball team
2) a Division I-AA football team
3) a 5-A high school football and powerlifting team
4) serving as assistant coach for a team with 2 consecutive national powerlifting championships
5) taking 3 girls to USAPL women's nationals last year, 2 of which with virtually no prior powerlifting experience
6) etc.

Yet, I was never what you would consider a great lifter. 575 squat, 415 bench, 535 deadlift in the 220's.

I think it's a combination of practical experience with the qualities stated above that make would make me a good coach.

 

[hellboy]

I think that coaching and/or teaching for that matter is a skill all by itself. It takes patience, an eye for details, motivational skills, and also knowledge of the subject being taught. I don't think that a coach has to have been a gold medal olympic winner to be a good coach. Just because you have the skills to excel and be in the top 5% of your athletic area does not mean that you have the patience and the eye and mind for coaching.

Just my 2 cp.

 

[MULE1]

Never claimed to be a good coach. I'm learning just like everyone else, but I possess these qualities: patience, tolerance, acceptance, motivation, respect, sportsmanship, ability to teach, knowledge, a love for the sport, the willingness to learn, the desire to win, etc.



wait till you coach adult elite powerlifter, big bunch of cry babies

 

[pwr_machine]

wait till you coach adult elite powerlifter, big bunch of cry babies

I've been around elite powerlifters for years and I can't say that I've seen too many cry babies in the bunch. Most are the hardest workers in the gym. Maybe that's why they're elite huh.

 

[spatts]

Don't you normally work with women, pwr_machine? I think it's the men that are cry babies.

 

[pwr_machine]

Don't you normally work with women, pwr_machine? I think it's the men that are cry babies.

 

[Nonerz]

One of the best softball coaches I ever had was a wheelchair bound man who had a birth defect. You know how you joke around pretending to be retarded by holding your hand to your chest with the wrists bent down...well he actually had that going on with both arms.

He was smart, motivating, encouraging, and didn't take anyone's shit! He couldn't play softball even if he wanted to, but I learned a lot from this guy!

By the way he was number 1 in the world for (motor assisted) wheelchair tennis...he literally taped a tennis racket to his hand and would flail around his arm to hit the ball! I didn't even know he was into tennis until several years after he coached me in high school. What a stud!

 

[cheesecake]

My brother-in-law's high school baseball coach never played a game of baseball in his life. However, he led them to be state champs this past year.
...chad...

 

[blinddeafmute]

Someone once told me this, and it has always stuck with me.

"Those who can...do. Those who can't....teach."

Look at the coaches in almost any professional sport. Are any of them big names that you would remember from actually playing in that sport? Most of the time...not. Of course there are some instances, but the majority of the time, they were never any good at the sport.

I love football, and played up thru high school. I know a hell of a lot about it. Ive actually got a system of play calling that I learned from my father (never played organized football in his life) that is so simple, that as a 4th grader, we had over 200 plays in our play book. We didnt need the book because the system was so simple. WE WERE 4TH GRADERS THAT COULD EXECUTE OVER 200 PLAYS.

My father was a great motivator and had the intelligence to simplify everything so that we could understand. He is a very good coach, but not a great athlete. I wasn't very good at football. Played WR. I could catch anything thrown at me, but ran like a turtle. Not good for a WR.

I personally think that coaching has nothing to do with the personal results that that person has had in the given sport.

Here are some good examples. John Madden and Magic Johnson. Need I say more?

 

[spatts]

WE WERE 4TH GRADERS THAT COULD EXECUTE OVER 200 PLAYS.

Care to share?

 

[MULE1]

I've been around elite powerlifters for years and I can't say that I've seen too many cry babies in the bunch. Most are the hardest workers in the gym. Maybe that's why they're elite huh.

Being around them and coaching them are two diffrent things

 

[pwr_machine]

Being around them and coaching them are two diffrent things

Then do I have to say that I've coached elite powerlifters? Then, yes, I've coached elite powerlifters. These guys and gals are still placing at the top in the nation!

 

[slinky]

Book smarts (knowledge) is important. But more importantly, "street" smarts (to be able to apply knowledge to a variety of individuals), and listening skills.

 

[blinddeafmute]

Spatts

It was really simple. Instead of coming up with oddball names for your plays, there was a system. Each play specifically told you what you were suposed to do in your position. So if you are planning on coaching little leage football, you might take this into cosideration and tweak it to your liking.

Each play consisted of several parts. Enabeling us to run almost any play, out of any formation, pretty much making our playbook endless.

Formation
Running routes
Blocking strategy
Pass routes

Set up several formations
Set up several running routes
Set up several blocking strategies
Set up several pass routes

Break your plays down into those parts then.

Formation - running routes - blocking strategies - pass routes

Example: I right 33 right pass long left on 2 = I formation w/ TE on right, Fake handoff to 3rd back in the 3 hole on the right, pass (everyone would know their routes for a " long left" pass) with a snap count of 2.

Dont make them too complicated. For instance, if your play has in it "pass long", that would tell everyone what to do. The WR's, TE, weak side tackle, and backs all would know what their route would be, if they had one.

Its not rocket science. Just simplifying everything so that it was simple enough for fourth thru sixth graders to understand.That way we could focus more on the techniques than learning the plays.

My dad watched college football all day long every saturday with a notepad studying the plays.