Wanna-be coach wants tips

I would definitely pursue certification as soon as you can but in addition I would pick up some good texts about training.  The three I would start with are Daniels Running Formula (Jack Daniels), Scientific Training for Triathletes and Guide to Training with Power for Triathletes (both by Phil Skiba - www.physfarm.com).

In addition, I would find a triclub that needs an assistant coach and/or an established coach who is willing to mentor you as you gain experience as a coach.  In addition, I would find a couple of athletes who are willing to be formally coached by you (for free) before or shortly after your certification.

I would say that once you have your certification and at least a year of coaching experience, then you could consider setting it up as a business and charging people for your services.

Good luck,

Shane

The two things that you need more than anything are education and street cred

Get as much education as you can. Go to every clinic, seminar, take webinars from USAT and USAC, read, read, read everything you can get your hands on regarding training principles (biochemistry, periodization, exercise physiology, etc). Find a mentor coach who you can work with and pick their brain on questions that you have.

For "street cred" start out volunteering your services to your friends and local athletes. Get their feedback on how you interacted with them and how your workouts were received and implemented. Build a resume' of your athletes results and accomplishments. There are a lot of people out there who think that if their coach is fast then he/she will make them fast (which is not true in most cases), what you need to show is how you made other people fast or helped them to accomplish their goals (i.e. finish their first IM, finish their first race, acheive a PR).

The biggest thing to remember is that no one knows all there is to know about coaching. We are all constantly learning about new techiniques and practices and how what works for one athlete may or may not work for another.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

I agree with the 'street cred' advice. If you want to take it to the next level, then I would suggest you work to become the "local expert". See if you can start writing articles for your local papers for free. Start showing up at the cycling club, tri club, running club, etc and get to meet everyone. being a success as a coach is a marketing issue, not a science issue. Some will find it important that you have this certification or that certification, but at the end the day, if your advice makes sense and people improve, then you will grow your biz. You can poke holes through every training theory that exists, so find your training strategy and own it, and keep learning as you go. Don't close your mind to new ideas or 'non certified' ideas. Good luck.

I'm sure there are a lot of us here on BT that would welcome the opportunity to be an initial guinea pig for a budding coach and work with someone that wants to initially get their name established.

On another note, props to Tkd.Teacher who posted above, John.  He gave me some quick advice and I implemented it in my race last weekend. That took me from my usual 35 or 40th percentile finish to 6/32 in my AG.  Thanks John!