Entries by Ian King
What’s holding YOU back as a trainer?
Even been in a place in your career where you wonder why you are not getting where you wanted to go as a trainer? If any of the following apply, you probably should be asking this question – I don’t have enough clients; I don’t get paid enough; I am not sure or confident of […]
There is a better way – Part 6: For whose benefit
The coach said to the team – ‘Now I want you to win. Because it makes me look better.’ A few weeks later, in a different sport but with the same athlete, a coach said to the team – ‘Now if some of you are wondering why you didn’t get any game time, I want […]
There is a better way – Part 5: There’s more to athlete preparation than ‘strength & conditioning’
Physical preparation in athlete preparation is over-rated. Its obvious that few share my belief, considering the amount of focus and effort going into physical development globally. I learnt from my professional experience in North America in the late 1980’s and early 1990s that their culture placed a (potentially excessive) premium on physical development. That cultural […]
There is a better way – Part 4:The simple things that can change the way athlete’s view themselves (and perform)
Little Johnny (or Julia) goes to mid-week training. The coach raises the ‘mistakes that cost them’ the last game. During training, the coach says: ‘Let’s go through the whole training session without dropping the ball. I don’t want to see any dropped ball!’ Little Johnny’s (or Julia’s) sub-conscious mind repeats the key words: ‘….dropped ball.’ […]
Coaching in the Fakebook era
If you are a physical preparation coach (strength coach, S&C coach, Personal trainer – call it what you want) who is looking to start, build or advance your career, then you are going to have to make a decision. Do you prioritize creating a perception of your competence; or do you prioritize actual competence? There […]
A financial reality check for physical preparation coaches
Irrespective of the motivations that drew you into this industry, there’s a probability that at some point in time you are going to reflect upon the low incomes that constitute most roles in this industry. Put simply this is one of the lower paying ‘professions’. Not totally surprising considering one of the more popular roles […]