What's the point of a coach?

Ohhh, ok... so, you don't want to be a coach, you just want to get free stuff from coaches while simultaneously bashing coaches. Troll on...

dfssdfa wrote:

:shouldershruggin: wrote:

Why don't you gather them up and provide them with a structured workout plan, then?

No need for me to do that, silly! They can find plenty of free, credible, and evidence-based information online and from various books.

Pshhh, yeah, coaches are useless. Especially the ones with long beards. Sophomore year my coach tried to tell me that 80 mpw was too much. Who does the guy think he is?

tatical wrote:

0/10

What he said.

Stress Fractures Are Fun wrote:

Pshhh, yeah, coaches are useless. Especially the ones with long beards. Sophomore year my coach tried to tell me that 80 mpw was too much. Who does the guy think he is?

That the same guy that said indoor workouts in hallways lead to spring stress fractures? Dude needs to shave.

Stress Fractures Are Fun wrote:

Pshhh, yeah, coaches are useless. Especially the ones with long beards. Sophomore year my coach tried to tell me that 80 mpw was too much. Who does the guy think he is?

That the same guy that said indoor workouts in hallways lead to spring stress fractures? Dude needs to shave.

LRC_HSer wrote:

Hi. I'm in HS. What is the point of my coach? Why do I need him?

Hey, if you think your so smart that you don't need a coach, did you ever wonder why you needed a teacher? If you came out of the womb knowing how to read and write, were able to do advanced math then I tip my hat to you. You don't need a coach or anyone else that has more years of experience than you have birthdays.

But I don't think this is the case. You've learned many, many things during your life which is akin to coaching. Sure, you learned how to make your bed, but the IAAF doesn't have a recognized world record distinction for this do they?

But you wouldn't know how to make your bed, pee in a toilet or wipe your butt if someone didn't teach you how to do these things. Someone taught/coached how to do these things This is part in parcel why school districts hire coaches. If schools districts thought you were smart enough to coach yourself, they'd save countless thousands of dollars each year letting inexperienced, wet behind the ears, no-it-alls coach themselves.

Oh, and by the way, you'd also be responsible for scheduling all of your meets, road and home. And if your school has an invitational meet, you and your teammates would be responsible for getting the venue prepared, hiring officials, getting volunteers to work high jump, pole vault, long and triple jump, finish line workers, cut in pole judge, shot and discus personal and concession stand volunteers. The concession stand makes a lot of money for your program, you are aware of that, aren't you?. Do you ever thank the volunteers who work there? Probably not. Why would you? You don't need a coach, so you don't need concession volunteers either do you? Am I right?

I might have left out/missed a few other things that a coach is good for, but I hope you understand a coach has many more responsibilities than just trying to train your dumba$$ and making sure you're on the bus before your team leaves from whatever-the-hell road meet you were at for home. And yes this is another job the coach has. Making sure everybody who went to the meet on the bus, goes home on the bus. Is this a responsibility you'd want to take on yourself?

Art Linkletter once said, "Kids say the darndest things." If he were alive today he might not say it but would be thinking it, "Kids today have $hit for brains."

There can be situations in grade school rec sports and the NCAA when coaches care about the operation and little about individual athletes, especially those who aren't their stars and favorites. This is bad coaching.

Good coaches create community and have personal training experience and teaching/coaching knack to guide athletes to flexible and sustainable development and inspire them.

For contunual monitoring and advice, coaches are essential objective consultants who can tell you when to relax, slow down, and do smart workouts when individual judgment may be biased and clouded. Someday you'll find out that the consulting aspect of our social lives is so important. So good coaches are essential consultants and cheer leaders.

I've had some mentor figures at the D1 and club level, who were very accomplished. I don't see them anymore, some I may see and some are retired

But they are already in my internal mental dialogue, the lessons advice and inspiration they provided. So there's that too: good formative influences that help development and a healthy resilient psyche later in life.

/2/3/4/ wrote:

Why have sex with another person when you can masturbate alone?

The exchange of information and experiences with other people is at the center of human interaction.

If you want to reach your potential you'll utilize the input of a coach.

I will admit that I'm wrong if you can point to a single champion athlete or team that does not have a coach.

Many coaches are perverts, so watch out.

As a runner you don't need a coach. But that doesn't mean having one won't help you. I am currently self trained but had coaches in high school and college who I learned a lot from. I also still bounce ideas off coaches occasionally.

The bottom line is in high school you have no where no enough experience and knowledge to train yourself to maximize your potential. I know at your age everyone thinks they know it all. But here's a little secret you can apply to this and just about everything else in life, you don't know shit at your age and you won't realize it until years later. A competent coach can help you a lot. Now there are ton a of crappy coaches out there at the high school level and if you're stuck with one of those that's tough luck.

Even if you knew what to do training wise. At the high school age a coach is absolutely essential help monitor an athletes training, give advice and support, and pull you back when needed.

I wish you lived in my area.

Blah Blah Blah Blah wrote:

The point of a coach is that he is supposed to know more about running than you do.

Most high school coaches know little to nothing about running.

awn so cute. now kiss.

Beware ~ wrote:

/2/3/4/ wrote:

Why have sex with another person when you can masturbate alone?

The exchange of information and experiences with other people is at the center of human interaction.

If you want to reach your potential you'll utilize the input of a coach.

I will admit that I'm wrong if you can point to a single champion athlete or team that does not have a coach.

Many coaches are perverts, so watch out.

On the flip side, there are also many people who try to exploit other people and have no moral or civic values truly. Many people simply like abusing authority. There are consultants, even licensed professionals who can be con artists. How to distinguish the tares from the wheat...

Scenario's? Seriously?

Just because a word is pluralized and ends in "s" does not mean you have to add an apostrophe.

This drives me crazy.

This is the beauty of running, the race times will tell all. Find out what percentage of runners get faster with a given coach. If that number is high it is very likely they're a good coach. If they have a solid personal reputation to complement that they are golden.

Roger Bannister was self coached.

A lot of you posters are OVERESTIMATING the number of quality coaches at all levels.

A motivated runner can find everything needed to coach themselves online. It certainly isn't rocket science.

1. Run as much as you can handle and stay healthy

2.back off when starting to feel aches and pains

3. Keep volume high and add intervals at varying speeds and distances.

4. Run interval paces at speeds faster, slower, and at race pace.

5. Give yourself plenty of rest/recovery between harder workout days.

6. Watch workout and race videos online

8. Race above and below your main distance. Keep an open mind as you may have more success at a different distance

7. Keep an open mind and never stop learning

Someone else on this thread posted about how you need a coach for meet entries. That's laughable.

He and his intelligent colleagues discussed workouts and coached each other. Why do the same top coaches names keep coming up with generating the best athletes? Coaching requires talent too. Envy is a green-eyed monster.

Coaches are Overrated wrote:

Roger Bannister was self coached.

A lot of you posters are OVERESTIMATING the number of quality coaches at all levels.

A motivated runner can find everything needed to coach themselves online. It certainly isn't rocket science.

1. Run as much as you can handle and stay healthy

2.back off when starting to feel aches and pains

3. Keep volume high and add intervals at varying speeds and distances.

4. Run interval paces at speeds faster, slower, and at race pace.

5. Give yourself plenty of rest/recovery between harder workout days.

6. Watch workout and race videos online

8. Race above and below your main distance. Keep an open mind as you may have more success at a different distance

7. Keep an open mind and never stop learning

Someone else on this thread posted about how you need a coach for meet entries. That's laughable.

$hit for brains. Roger Bannister was 25 years old when he broke the 4 minute mile mark. He wasn't some snot-nose 15-16 year old high school kid. Didn't you even read the OP's post?

I just can't get over some of the moronic replies that some ignorant mother faulkers post on here.

And if you don't realize it's the head track coach that recommends to the AD what meets he wants to send his team to, then you just don't realize what all is entailed with being a head coach.

Son, you're just dumb and I'm trying very hard to be generous with my back handed compliment.

Back in the early '80's, there was a boxer by the name of Mike Tyson. Had he not had the guidance of a COACH/TEACHER at that age, there is a very high probability that he never would have become what he did.

Ironically enough, after the coach passed away, Tyson's life and career took a turn for the downside.