Coaches are not your friends. As rowers and athletes, your coach is a mentor that guides you on your journey to reach your athletic potential. They write your programme. They give you technical advice. They help us see the bigger picture, because as a rower I know how consuming rowing can be. But coaches are not your friends.
Question: how many times do you see your coach per week?
Your coach plays such an integral role in your development as an athlete both physically and mentally. They write the programme and are by your side in every race, every 2k test, every aspect of rowing. Serving as role models, you look up to them, caressing everything they say and relinquishing their appraisal while fearing their disapproval.
I’ve had a myriad of coaches from a wide array of sports and I’ve realised something. Coaches only play a mere 20% role to your 80% success. Unknowingly, I’ve always been far too dependent on the coaches I’ve had. I’ve always needed their approval and praise in order to see my own potential. My motivation was based off extrinsic factors that were out of my control and ultimately destroyed my confidence if not positively interpreted. As an athlete, it’s imperative to ensure you’re intrinsically motivated because a coach will not always be by your side and you will not always have the privilege of having coaches that care and support you.
You have to become more independent. You have to find your motivation and confidence within yourself. You have to be proactive and not rely on others to tell you what you most probably already know. It’s hard but this is how you will become your best self.
We all want to be coached by the very best. A coach that goes the extra mile to give you the best chance of success. Who cares and supports you. Who shows you kindness and compassion, humility and enthusiasm and transverses their love for rowing every day. We all want that. But what I’ve learnt at Leander is that your success is in your hands. We place so much dependency on our coaches that we fail to see that our success remains in our hands. A coach can only do so much.
You are the one who has to make the changes.
You are the one who has to be proactive.
You are the one who wants to see your success more than anyone else.
The power is in your hands. Don’t let go. Keep charging forward even if no-one is by your side. This defines you as an athlete because solitude is a weapon to use, not a weakness. Ifyou truly want it, fight for it and don’t let anyone career you off your path.
As rowers, we will always have a coach with us because the reality is, we need them to write the programme and give us technical advice. Who we get will not be within our control. This then brings the question of what defines a good coach?
A good coach nourishes you with:
1. Open communication
2. Honesty
3. Trust
4. Accountability
5. Enjoyment
All of these are a guarantee with a good coach. By your side, they show compassion and kindness. They are patient and supportive. Of course, no-one is perfect but a strong coach-athlete relationship built on the foundation of trust is necessary to give you the best platform as a rower. Finding the right coach for you who pushes you in the right way is always an advantage.
If you want to become the best, you have to find the winning attitude within yourself. Along the way you will find yourself with coaches that you connect with and give you the right push along the road to success but other times, you will face many obstacles along your journey. Never lose sight of your destination because through the good and the bad, every bridge or hole will have made you stronger.
Good luck on your journey and most importantly enjoy it.
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