March 10, 2020

I started my own performance coaching company in January 2018, it was something I had been thinking about doing for probably 3 or more years. Although by that time I had been coaching and helping others with their own fitness and sport goals for 8 years. Coaching is not something that comes naturally to me, in fact I quite dislike the sounds of my own voice when it comes to correcting someone’s movement. Coaching is a skill I have to constantly work on to get better at and become more comfortable doing. This has given me quite a different take on coaching that some athletes have remarked on, some complaining that I do not say enough or that I am too quiet. The fact of the matter is when I coach someone through a weightlifting movement or a jump for example I do not praise them for all the little things they are doing correctly, but I will remark on the things they can tidy up upon and improve. Others thrive in this situation and are sometimes the athletes I prefer to work with, every workout doesn’t need to be a triumph or glittering affair the athlete is simply putting money in the bank for a later performance or PR. All athletes are different from teams down to country and continent they are from, I now feel more comfortable adapting my style of coaching slightly to accommodate the athlete or situation.

I primarily coach due to the enjoyment I derive from seeing others improve, that can be someone losing 5lbs of fat to gaining 10lbs of muscle or breaking a new squat PR. I attribute this to the simplistic nature of my own passion powerlifting, a sport so simple once the basics are mastered it is simply adding weight to the bar.