Ian King

I spoke to xxxx (professional) and they said it can’t be so….  

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There is a phenomenon in sport, and perhaps life, where decisions are made about potential, possibilities and peoples lives from a remote, authoritarian and dogmatic perspective.

But who does it serve? Surely it wouldn’t be that humbling to take a less all-knowing approach?

In the 1980s a young national league Australian Rules player suffered what we now call chronic fatigue. The coach told him “I talked to the trainer and there is nothing wrong with you. You just aren’t fit enough.” So they send him off on a special training camp where he paddled in the ocean for hours, ran along beaches for hours, swam in open seas for hours.

Who does it serve? The coach’s and trainers need to be able to diagnose all conditions, the ego of the trainer about more of their services being needed…but what about the athlete? Would it be so demeaning to seek independent unbiased professional advice? To say “I don’t really know why you are complaining about being tired, but lets explore your situation and find out more to help you get over the condition.”

In the 1990s in the lead up to a World Cup, a head national coach put his team through a grueling training session, applying the dominant trend of the time, which essentially ended the team’s hope of winning (and that’s the opinion of some of the athletes involved in retrospect). Faced with a very tired and sore group of athletes, the head coach told the team: “I have spoken with the support staff and they have all told me you can’t be tired, so you are not tired!”

Who does it serve? The coach’s need to be right, the ego of the professional o feeling good about being remotely all knowing…but what about the athlete? Or the team? Would it be so terrible to say “I don’t really know why you are complaining about being tired, but lets explore your situation and find out more to help us win?”

In the 2000s a provincial level rugby playing hurt his shoulder. The coach, supported by the medical staff, decided he was okay, and sent him back on. He damaged his shoulder so extensively later in that game it shortened his career and affected his quality of life forever.

Who does it serve? It helped the team win that game. It confirmed the coach had full control over medical interpretations….but what about the athlete? Would it have been so scary for the team to lose that player for the rest of the game to prevent future surgery? To have said “I don’t like the thought of losing you in this tight game but based on your concerns lets check out your injury and not take risks with you.”

In the post 2010 decade I was working with a young UK soccer player who was recovering unsuccessfully from surgery. He had entered into an agreement to play for a US college on scholarship, but was in no condition to do so. The head college told him “The physical therapist tells me there is no reason why you cannot play and train so I expect you to turn up on Monday and participate fully.” And that was before the physical therapist had even laid hands on the athlete…

Who does it serve? The interests of the college, the ego of the professional…but what about the athlete? Would it be so dangerous to say “I don’t really know why you are reporting pain or concern, but lets explore your situation and find out more?”

Post 2010 I raised a point of concern with a sports coordinator of a high school about injury risks in a training session. The response included “I have spoken to our strength and condition coach and he tells me that the volume of training the athletes are doing does not represent a risk.”

Who does it serve? The interests of the school, the ego of the professional to be right, to be all knowing…,but what about the athlete? Would it be so bad to say “I don’t really know why you concerned about pain, but lets explore your situation and find out more?”

I don’t know what training is going to do. I have a theory or hypothesis and I take it carefully in case I am off-track. If it turns out I missed the target, then I seek to amend the situation, and learn from it. It’s not that hard if you can put aside the need to be all knowing or be right. I even tell the athlete in advance – I don’t know for sure but this is where I am thinking of going, is that okay, and let’s learn from this. Together. It’s not that difficult.

Who does it serve? The athlete.

Ian King

Ground hog day for the physical preparation coach  

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After spending a few hours on the phone with Bruce from the UK a number of points he made struck home. Not that they were new, just that the strength and commonality of the pattern had become distant for me.

He spoke of waking up and realizing each day was the same as it was over a decade ago.

“…The realization struck me recently that my working day is similar to what it was thirteen years ago.”

He spoke of realizing that his income was not growing. But that the cost of living was.

He spoke of the realization that whilst making money per se was never his initial goal, he now realized that the obtainment legal tender (was critical to support those that relied him.

“…Making money was not my main concern when I initially set up in business but my outlook has changed considerably as I now have a family to provide for, as well as retired parents for whom I want to ensure quality of life into old age.”

And even though it is almost heretical to talk about family values in physical preparation, the reality is many will have family, have kids, and spend more time with their clients than their kids.

“….So my main personal challenge is simply to create financial security for my family, and I currently feel a long way from this and a little lost as how to achieve it. I also want to be in a position where I can enjoy time with my children and, however clichéd it sounds, watch them grow up.”

No, it’s not cliché to me – maybe to the average ‘I just want to talk about sets and reps’ kind, but not to me. I made a plan to give my kids the same level of service or better than the athletes I trained like they were my kids.

He spoke of realizing the need to do something differently to get a differently result.

“I believe I have grown my companies almost as much as I can …and, looking forward, I do not see much capacity for a change in my circumstances.”

Now let me say this. Many will discard this text as boring soppy crap. And I can assure you that those same people, in 10-20 years time (if not before) would, if they were to be honest, say they missed the point, and wished they would have taken more notice all those years ago when an older, more experienced person who had figured this out had thrown them a lifeline.

One day you might realize, it’s physical preparation ground hog day – and it’s not a movie, it’s your life….

It an amazing opportunity to be a coach – but how many reps are you counting count for clients before you realize that choice would be great. Choice meaning you can vary your day from what it year in, year out….

I know, I make a lot of people angry when I have the audacity and rudeness to holistically, because the unwritten rule in coaching is you are just a coach, get used to it, and don’t dare to be a anything more than a one trick pony.” I have been teaching holistically for a number of decades now and I’m pretty desensitized to the less than complimentary comments (they are part of being an innovator, and doing what you feel is the right thing to do as opposed to what you think others want you to do – I get them daily…).

I am also pretty desensitized to seeing older coaches doing what they were doing decades prior, for less money, for less joy and the pain is evident in their voice and body (assuming they have not left the industry in disillusionment).

It doesn’t have to be this way. How do I know? Because I have mentored many to a life that is very different to the fate most of you face.

The first case study I share is that of a college strength & conditioning coach in North America who 15 yrs ago took up the challenge:
http://www.viddler.com/v/269635b3?secret=65048940

The second case study is that of an Australian physical preparation coach who 10 years ago took up the challenge:
http://www.viddler.com/v/eb36a4ea?secret=22794046

The third example is that of a Californian PT and physique competitor who not only took up the challenge but also became the winner of our first formalized season of the Leveraged Income Challenge:
http://www.viddler.com/v/5682993a?secret=45943402

So here’s you chance to choose between a future of ground hog day for the physical preparation coach or choice. Your call.

Interested to learn more about the KSI Leveraged Income Challenge? Click here:
http://bit.ly/LeverageIncomeChallengeInterest