College athletes past and present, what are some things you think college coaches do right, and what do they do wrong?

fadsfasdfdsf wrote:

Art or Science? wrote:

Besides Joe Vigil, which other college coach is extremely successful and has a degree in exercise physiology? What degree did Mark Wetmore, Martin Smith, Vin Lananna, and Jerry Schumacher graduate college with?

Marijuanology, Hardassology, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Hospitality.

Great reply, but not the exact majors. Very funny, though, +2!

Great coaching is both an art and a science.

Of course I had Rojo in college (with consulting from JK and Weldon).

The Pros: Rojo was knowledgable about the sport, flexible, knew how to encourage us and really cared. (Probably helped that he let me run a marathon in college as well!)

Cons: sometimes we got caught up or too excited for a single workout ( or the miler types responded a lot differently than the 5km 10km types in xc).

But I really can't complain...I met all my goals in college except for being All American and going low 29 in the 10km (which honestly would have been a big stretch as a 430 miler in hs with little talent). I had an ideal progression in college thanks to Rojo. The experience made me want to learn more and continue running. While other coaches I've had (later) belittle their athletes and overtrain them, Rojo and JK actually cared and knew what they were talking about.

I agree with most of the comments...It's shocking how terrible many college coaches are. The 3 best coaches I know were HS coaches for the majority of their careers.

The #1 most frustrating thing I see is that coaches hurt athletes. It is MY FAULT as a coach if my athlete gets hurt. Period. Except for freak accidents, injuries happen for 2 reasons: #1 the training sucks and the kid isn't prepared for it, which I control... or #2 the kid doesn't tell the coach that something is bothering them, which is also the coaches fault because they should create an environment that the kid feels comfortable to share any imbalance or problem without being afraid of some boneheaded old-school "suck it up" response. It makes no sense. A hurt athlete helps NO ONE!

1) Many have no common sense

2) They lack pride in their work/craft

3) They aren't students of their sport. You have to keep learning or you are disrespecting the sport and the profession.

4) They over train their athletes with their cookie-cutter approach

5) They don't communicate or even ask the kids how they feel

6) They rarely adjust their workouts when they need to

7) They don't care for the kids as people & students and don't take into account outside stresses.

Athletic directors who only care about football and basketball and don't have the knowledge or care to hire a good coach. I went to a big time d1 program in the 80's. The coach who recruited me left after my first year. Locally there was an amazing Hs coach. Many of the all Americans on the team asked the ad to give him an interview. The ad who was the schools former head football coach told these athletes to get out. He hired a coach who on paper looked good but was horrible. The program has stunk for 25 years now, local schools won't send their kids there and that ad is still there. Had they hired that local Hs coach everyone would know him now as he is simply amazing! Lots of good coaches out there that can not get in the door.

Life long for the sport wrote:

Most college coaches assume their athletes won't have running careers after college.

And they're correct in that assumption. Many college runners go on to have running hobbies; a miniscule number go on to have running careers. In fact, most college coaches will go their whole lives and never coach anyone who goes on to a running career.

18:30 5k pr wrote:

Life long for the sport wrote:

Most college coaches assume their athletes won't have running careers after college.

And they're correct in that assumption. Many college runners go on to have running hobbies; a miniscule number go on to have running careers. In fact, most college coaches will go their whole lives and never coach anyone who goes on to a running career.

Yes they are correct with that assumption. BUT When I say running "careers" though I mean that not to mean professional athlete (someone who makes a living off running) at all. I mean that to mean someone after college trying to improve upon college PRs, whether that's just breaking 15 or 16 mins for a 5K or breaking 2:30 or 2:40 for a marathon. That's what I mean when I say continue. Too often guys just decide they want to go get their career going and settle down and they never WANT to ever run more than 30mpw again in their lives, and it is THIS, not the lack of time they have, that means their running "careers" usually end at age 22-23. It would be nice to see more post collegiate recreationally competitive runners out there. It is a fantastic sport and Just because there isn't a dollar in something doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

Being A Student-Athlete in College

It was difficult to make the decision to move my life overseas aged 21 when I felt comfortable in Australia with my coaching set-up and university team there. However, I felt like I needed to take on a new adventure.

The Training

The training is slightly different from home, which is to be expected with any new coach and program. We keep with the standard recovery run, 2x workouts a week for the most part (including fartleks, tempo runs, track sessions, grass sessions), a mid-week longer run, a sprint session, and a weekend-long run to finish off the week. The main differences for me were the addition of pre-cross country season altitude training up in the hills and ski resort in the warmer months, the team-based focus including groups for workouts, and a very season centered workout approach (Outdoor, indoor track, and cross country).

I think this works well, but it depends on what background and previous coaching you've come from.

Team Focus

There is no denying that team camaraderie and a team-based focus is crucial to student-athlete life. One cross-country season at Boise State was enough to show me the immense importance of working as a team in what is often regarded as an individual sport, and as a result, I have friends and training partners for life, all around the world. In cross country, it is so important that the team finish as high as possible, so we need the whole team to perform at their very best, to place well in meets. To do this, we must work together in race scenarios to optimize the result at the end. It is also important to mention that I love having people to run with all the time. I can choose whether I go solo on some days, but for the most part, it is nice to know that I always have friends up for a jog.

In terms of what might be wrong - I think coaching when you are the right athlete-coach-school fit, works out well. The athlete must choose a program that suits them and buy into it to be successful. However the restrictions the NCAA place on athletes, such as name and likeness to earn income, job restrictions etc is not so fun.

I wrote a whole article on being a student-athlete in college, including my personal experience and what to expect. Click to read more:

https://larahamilton.com/being-a-student-athlete-in-college/