3 Strategies To Maximise Your Results Via Communication
Athlete-Coach Communication
As within any relationship, communication is extremely important. It is the cornerstone that dictates whether it will be successful or not.
Effective communication between an athlete and coach not only helps to improve performance outcomes over time but can also help to mitigate risk of injuries.
One of the main ways is by having effective load management. If an athlete proactively communicates any niggles/issues that arise then the coach is able to modify the program accordingly. Furthermore, if there are updates to an athlete's schedule, new competitions/games or general life stuff (exams/deadlines at work etc.) then as coaches we are able to make adjustments to best prepare the athlete.
In order to achieve the best communication between athlete and coach, there's 3 areas we focus on in order to drive the best results.
1. Questionnaires
The simplest way to do this is to have some sort of questionnaire that the athlete fills out or can run through with the athlete if you do an initial consultation. Being able to get a good background history and what the athletes goals are can help to paint the picture of how to best structure the program for a given athlete.
Putting together check-ins or questionnaires for athletes to fill out (eg. end of week/program check in, post game check in etc.) is a great way for coaches to avoid frustration of an athlete not communicating as it gives them prompts to update you on how they are feeling and tracking with their training.
2. Expectations
We also like to set expectations for both the athlete and the coach in what is required for effective communication from each party. It is also a good opportunity as a coach to be able to set boundaries. Even though many of us want to be there for our athletes 24/7 this is unrealistic.
Asking questions about how often an athlete wants to be checked in on (frequently or not) and letting them know when to expect responses (eg. I won’t reply after 8pm and before 6am) can help to avoid any frustration from an athlete.
Putting together check-ins or questionnaires for athletes to fill out (eg. end of week/program check in, post game check in etc.) is a great way for coaches to avoid frustration of an athlete not communicating as it gives them prompts to update you on how they are feeling and tracking with their training.
3. Defining Key Information
An athlete understands that sometimes feeding back certain information can slow them down in their processes. Relaying back to their coach they have a niggle or an injury in their mind feels like they'll have to take a step back.
From the start it's important to lay out what is important information to give back to the coach. But, also exactly how you would keep your athlete projecting forwards on their path by not stepping back, but moving around to ensure they can continue to move forward. If we say this before these events happen, they're more likely to come to you straight away. Knowing you'll be objective about the situation and explain what the game plan would be moving forward.
We know..There is nothing more frustrating as a coach than the message or passing comment in conversation ”oh I hurt my ‘X’ 3 weeks ago and now this exercise is making it feel worse” or “oh by the way I fly out to nationals next Wednesday”. So having these conversations and questionnaires in place early can help to avoid these situations.
As we build the relationship and trust they're going to be more inclined to let you know everything.
On top of the athlete/coach communication, interdisciplinary communication is important so that all respective parties are on the same page to address the athletes needs.
By interdisciplinary communication we mean from physiotherapists/sports doctors to the coach so they can make adjustments or communication from the s&c coach to sports and skills coaches to get a better understanding of what the athlete needs physically to help them improve in their sport.
At the end of the day the goal is to improve the athletes sporting performance, so the more that everyone is on the same page and working together towards the common goal the better the outcomes will be.
So athletes, make sure to keep your coaches up to date with how your body is feeling, how your training is going and how you feel you are performing.
