Question for Coaches (and those using or considering using a coach)

I would completely ignore the SPINing certification.  It is a specialized piece of equipment and designed for doing a specific exercise in a closed environment.  And unless you are going to work for a gym (shudder) then it is a waste.

If you want to truly coach one on one, get the USAC level III and then get your butt to a Level II actual course (L3 is take home and study test - level 2 is actual classwork).  Then find all the books and seminars on the sport that you can and start reading.

That's my take.

I would suggest doing what some new coaches here on BT have done, work with a handful folks for free to get some experience before you do it for money while you pursue the certifications. Maybe have a two year plan first year gaining knowledge and working with a few folks, setting up your business with the goal that the next year you step it up a notch.

I do think there is a nitch for what you would like to do, question is how do you find folks to work with?

I talk a lot where ever I go to Y or whatever. I could see myself doing what you suggest and probably not having a hard time finding potential clients as I get asked a lot about what I do and how to do it.

Given your description of what you would like to do, you might want to consider something more along the lines of a wellness coach.  One of my triathlon friends does this.  She is also a MOP-BOPer.  But she started her journey significantly overweight and her clients love that she can relate directly to them.  She finds this work extremely rewarding.
http://www.wellcoaches.com/

I agree with KathyG about working with people for free to get you started.  Not only will it give you experience and allow you to work through some of the details but if all goes well you'll get some fantastic references for when you work to build your business. 

A personal note of caution on this method though.  I was working with someone who was doing the same thing and I'm not quite sure what happened but she just kind of stopped sending me workouts and supporting me in a coaching manner.  Eventually she really dropped out of my life and didn't even bother to call to find out how the race went.  If you find that you can't continue with an athlete for whatever reason just have a conversation with that person, let them know why and give them some thoughts on what to do next.  The person I was working with not only lost a good reference but if someone ever asked me about working with her I probably would give a poor reference.  If she'd been honest with me and discussed whatever was going on I would have been able to at least remain neutral. 

Not that I expect you would need to remove yourself from a relationship but try to remember that even if you're not being paid it should be treated as a business relationship. 

Good luck on the adventure if you choose to do it! Your type of coaching was exactly what I wanted. 

If you weren't clear across the country, I would think about hiring such a coach.  I don't want to train to be FOP.  I just want some guidance for improving on my own goals.  I definitely think there would be a market for this type of coaching  -- especially if you are good at listening and encouraging. 

Just about every coach out there is there to help out everyone from the true beginner to advanced rider.  Coaching is NOT just for the FOP.  In fact, it is typical more beneficial to the people at the back.

Hi Jenny, I have a few thoughts as someone who could really use a coach  but I'm at work so will respond in detail in the next couple days. 

(In the meantime I'd listen to what Daremo says).

ETA - I think triathlon coach and personal trainer are two VERY different things.

Edited by cathyd 2009-09-06 2:51 PM

Jenny

I can relate to you so much 'cos sounds like I am just about a year into doing what you want to do. I am 40 something too and have been at home with the kids.  When I decided to do something for myself I decided to do something with what I love (fitness, tri's etc) rather than my ex-profession (CPA).  I too have a science degree (physiology and biochemistry) so a bit of background AND I want to work with beginners - motivate people to get healthier, more active and use sprint tri's hopefully as a way to achieve this.

So, over the last year and a half I have taken lots of exams. Partly because I think it will help "on paper" (although I would be the first to agree with anyone that says that is only part of it) but also to make sure I was up to date on latest training techniques, knowledge of body etc.  So I did the USA Cycling level 3 (home based study) and I also did the ACE personal trainer and ACE Lifestyle and Weight Management qualification too (home based study again).  Cycling is clearly most relevant to tri and they do add up cost wise.  I also have  a bit of  a swim teaching & coaching background (from many years ago in UK) and so I started helping coach our local Y team so I became a USA Swimming coach and worked towards  ASCA (American swimming Coaches Association) levels.  You need coaching experience for this plus home study to get these (up to level 2 is reasonable, then level 3 is 10years plus other stuff so much harder to get).  
Anyway, I then went and got my USA Triathlon level 1 coach certification last year - this is a 3 day course you have to attend with a take home exam.

Anyway, I finally felt confident to start coaching this year and trained a neighbour for free for a local tri and a couple of other friends I used as guinea pigs to do a fitness program for.
I then spoke to the organiser of a local tri as I thought there was a gap for a beginner training course for their sprint tri.  And they have helped me promote a low cost 12 week beginner course (plan plus weekly meetings) for a tri that happens in a few weeks. I have a dozen or so particpants and it seems to be going well and I am hoping will open up some openings for me.  Hopefully doing a good job and getting my name out there (flyers and website useful) will help.  But seeing the progression of consistent training and these people going from "not sure I can do this but would like to have a go" to knowing they can has been truly amazing and inspiring.

As an aside I have really enjoyed working with this level and have decided to concentrate on just tri training as my main effort.  Once you get known it seems to get easier. The Y may be a good source - they have offered me personal training opportunities (which I decided against) and hopefully we will work together for some sort of tri course next year.

So, sorry for the essay but I just wanted you to know that you are not mad (or maybe we all are!) and that it is a great thing to want to do and I am having a lot of fun even though it certainly doesn't pay many bills yet!

Jackie
www.liketotri.com

This is great and is something I have done. Its good to get some experience in a new area by enlisting some "guinea pigs." I think you will be great, the only thing I would say again, is definitely consider narrowing your focus to one cert/business idea/ client type at a time. You can always expand later! Feel free to pm me with any more questions!

If you are cheaper than the rest with a good service then yes I'd look into someone like yourself. I'm going to get a coach next season. 

I'm on the other side of the world from you so I most likely won't choose you though.  

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for everyone for the great responses! Definitely some good things to think about! I'm very excited about giving this a go! I just ordered my USAC coaching manual as my first step along this road. Wish me luck!!!

I think the certification route is definitely the first step that someone interested in coaching should consider.  However, if you are planning to coach triathletes, I would look at a triathlon coaching course first and then look at sport specific courses to further enhance your understanding.  However, I don't have experience with USAT so this is based on TriCanada's coaching program which has recently been redesigned and IMO is better than any of the intro sbr certifications available.

The second thing that I would suggest to any coach is to gain experience by offer to coach or help with a local triathlon club.  Working with groups of people in a hands on coaching experience will quickly let you know whether you want to continue down the coaching path or not.  Further, I think every coach would benefit from some time working with junior athletes so if the triclub has junior members than you can help with a few workouts with them as well.  If not, I would check at the local junior/senior high schools as they invariably will be looking for a coach or assistant coach for a cross country or track program (and middle distance coaches are often hard to come by).  I believe that even if you are planning to run an online only program that every coach should have the abillity and confidence to run a workout in person.

As well, your plan to individually coach a few local athletes for experience will give you much better insight into what is going to be involved with developing an annual training plan and weekly workouts to build an athlete towards a goal race or series of races.

Finally, developing a mentoring relationship with an experienced coach will be another huge benefit as you will want to have someone you can discuss programs, workouts, roadblocks, race planning, etc with when you run into difficulties.  Also, having someone to challenge your coaching standpoint and encourage you to continue to hone your craft is an important aspect of being a professional coach.

As far as income; I strongly believe that a coach should have at least a year of experience before they evenconsider charging for their services and at that point the fee should be minimal.  There are many new coaches who are charging high monthly fees simply because they can; not because their coaching education or experience would support that level.

Good luck in your journey,

Shane

hi jenny... I'll answer your question as someone who could use a coach.

I would be looking for someone who has been involved in triathlon for at least a few years.  I would be looking for a triathlon coaching certification (not sure what that would be called in US), not interested in spinning or personal training certs.  I would want them to have some kind of nutritional education (as that is a huge limiter for me).  I would look for someone with some life experience (ie. would not hire a single 25 year old with no kids as my coach), who has worked with older athletes.

I am not a beginner so I would be hiring a coach to improve my race performance although I'll never be on a podium.  I didn't consider coaching when I started this as I always felt coaching would be for 'better' athletes than me.  I think you need to really market yourself  if you are targeting beginners, and I think the 'wellness' coach is a great idea.

Edited by cathyd 2009-09-08 9:28 AM

Ok, I'm a bit late to the party on this one, and there's some excellent advice in here, so I'll just explain my personal philosophy in coaching.

My job as a coach is to put myself out of a job in 1-? years.

I regard it as part of a coaches responsibility to educate the athlete to the point where they can coach themselves, and have a decent idea of WHY you do particular workouts, or how/why you structure a cycle, nutrition planning, etc. If a coach can't explain the sport to you, then basically all they are is a cheerleader with a workout plan.

I mean truly, just about any monkey can grab some free plans off the 'net, modify a few workouts, and whammo! They're a coach. They can't explain why you're doing a particular workout, or how to adapt it if you don't respond to the prescribed workouts, because they don't understand the why.

When I have a prospective athlete, I'm absolutely up front with them. Such as currently, I don't have a powermeter. I have no clue how to use them (yet), so if someone is looking for a coach that bases workouts from that data, I'm not it. It's a hole in my training, I admit, and one that I will rectify when the $$ is available, but for now, can't do it.

Now, given that you are a targeting a less than savvy portion of the market, you are going to get more of the "why" questions than someone coaching an elite. (In general.) So, be prepared to explain the why behind the what.

John

Thanks again, folks. I have a few more thoughts and questions....

For anyone who has been through the USAT coaching certification proces.... Does the course present information similar to what a Personal Trainer course would provide regarding things like biomechanics, etc? My primary interest in PT certification would be to get a good base of knowledge in general fitness, biomechanics, etc. -- similar reasons as Jackie stated for getting that cert. But if that information is covered well in the USAT and/or USAC certification process, the PT certification might not be so important for me, at least not at the start.

Re: Spinning certification - I mainly see this as a way for me to get started.... I won't be able to take a USAT level 1 cert course until next spring, but I can get a spinning certification and start teaching indoor cycling classes pretty quickly. And I think I might actually enjoy working in a gym teaching indoor cycling classes!

There's another group I was looking at today.... Is anyone familiar with the League of American Bicyclists (http://www.bikeleague.org/index.php)? They have a certification process for instructors to teach introductory cycling courses - bike safety, handling, etc. I could definitely see myself teaching some classes like this down the road. Is that kind of information covered in the USAC coaching program? If not, does anyone have any experience with the League of American Bicyclists? The one thing I find annoying about their certification process is that you have to "pass" their introductory level cycling class before you can take the certification course -- so that's adds an additional $50 or so to the whole process..... All this education adds up!!

I can only help with the first question - and remember this is only my opinion!

The USAT course (when I did it anyway last Oct - they are constantly updating it I understand) had one section on basic physiology type stuff - how heart works, muscles work etc

The personal training exam I did (ACE) was much much much much (emphasised enough?) more detailed - full anatomy, biomechanics, nutrition, exercise physiology, principles of training etc - plus things like health screening,  programming, special health populations, behaviour change and psychology - all in a reasonable amount of depth - but all of course geared towards personal training, not triathlon and aimed at more of a beginner level client compared to an athlete looking for peak performance

As some one with a physiology and biochemistry degree plus 5 years of tri experience, research etc I found I learnt (and was reminded about some of it!) a lot on the personal training route (it's a big manual) but to be honest the level 1 USAT didn't actually teach me anything new - although it was great to talk to top level coaches who were lecturing.  That might have been because I read around lots on training etc anyway as it is my passion.   I was told that the more detailed stuff comes with the USAT level 2.

Expensive as it is I am pleased I did the personal training exam because of the in depth knowledge which has given an excellent background to carry with me into the specific sport of triathlon

Jackie

I'd have to comment that I wouldn't necessarily agree with the above.  Yes definitely  our job to educate but I wouldn't say that I'd be aiming to put myself out of a job.  People have coaches for different reasons
As someone that has been coached and am a coach (albeit fairly new) then I am perfectly capable of writing my own workouts and coaching myself - but I don't.  I have a coach - who is more objective and makes me accountable and gets the best out of me as an athlete.  And my coach also has a coach too!

USAT coaching clinics are becoming more and more popular and harder to get into. I attempted to register for NY this past April. It sold out in 11 minutes. I was fortunate enough to be on the wait list and when they added a second class in Boston was able to go. By far the best thing I could have done! I have taken USAC level 3 (at home) and am hoping to get to the Power class in Philly this fall

I have "enlisted" a few friends as my guinea pigs as well, they are all quite happy not having to pay AND helping me get my feet wet. The added bonus is that they are understanding as I learn through this process as well!

Lani

I hear what John is saying, but I like working with coach..I just finished my 5th year with a coach. I changed coaches after 4 years and one of the benefits is that with a different coach and view I continued to learn new and different things. I think it is just my personality to like having someone else plan my training and I just to execute my training.

Ok, I can see what I said caused a bit of confusion, so let me explain it. I left the end open ended, because there are those people that just want a coach, and to go out and do the workouts. That's fine. I still attempt to educate the why so they understand the process, but they just want workouts from me, that's great.

But there are those that want to learn to do their own thing, and/or understand the sport beyond get on the saddle and pedal X miles/minutes. They have hired me not only to coach, but to instill the knowledge that enables them to achieve their goal of independence. If three years down the road they are faster, but no closer to their goal of being independent, have I really done my job as a coach?

A lot of the determination of the above comes from communication with the athlete and listening to what they want.

John